Julian Alaphilippe’s hopes of a record-equalling third World Championships victory ended prematurely when he was pressured out of the elite males’s street race by a crash earlier than the peloton had even reached the ending circuit round Zurich.
The Frenchman was reportedly among the many fallers in a crash with 218km remaining. He deserted the race shortly afterwards with an damage to his left shoulder.
Although Alaphilippe’s crash was not captured by the stay tv broadcast, nationwide coach Thomas Voeckler rapidly confirmed his chief’s abandon to France Télévision.
Alaphilippe was taken away by ambulance for therapy to his injured shoulder, although Voeckler informed France Télévision that he believed his rider had not sustained some other vital damage.
Pello Bilbao was additionally a faller in the identical crash, however the Spaniard was in a position to remount and rejoin the race.
Alaphilippe was the apparent chief of a powerful French workforce that additionally options Valentin Madouas, Romain Bardet and David Gaudu.
After enduring troublesome seasons since his second world title in Leuven three years in the past, Alaphilippe had loved one thing of a resurgence in 2024, capped by his glowing stage win on the Giro d’Italia in Fano. Last month, it was confirmed that he would go away Soudal-QuickStep for Tudor Pro Cycling in 2025.
The 32-year-old had warmed up for the Zurich Worlds with third place behind favorite Tadej Pogačar on the Grand Prix de Montréal.
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