World road race champion Julian Alaphilippe of France was forced to abandon the Liege-Bastogne-Liege race after getting caught in a massive crash with about 60 kilometers left in the race.
Alaphilippe crashed into a tree at Liege-Bastogne-Liege, while teammate Ilan Van Wilder broke his jaw in the pileup.
“His condition is stable but will need to be hospitalized for observation,” Quick-Step Alpha-Vinyl said.
His team announced he has a fractured shoulder blade, two fractured ribs and a collapsed lung.
“This is one of the worst things we’ve seen in recent weeks in bike racing, this is an absolutely horrible crash.”
The 29-year-old Alaphilippe, winner of the last two world road races titles, was the first Frenchman to win Liege-Bastogne-Liege in 23 years. Alaphilippe skipped the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after placing fourth in the Rio road race in 2016.
He has also had success in the Tour de France wearing the yellow jersey in 18 stages over the last three years.
Rising star Remco Evenepoel of Belgium raced to the victory as he executed a brilliant attack and 29km time trial to secure victory.
He was joined by countrymen Quentin Hermans (Intermarche Wanty Gobert) and Wout van Aert (Jumbo Visma) on an all-Belgium podium.
Evenepoel, who turned 22-years-old earlier this month, became the youngest rider to win ‘La Doyenne’ - cycling’s oldest classic.
Evenepoel, who was recovering from a serious crash in the Tour of Lombardy in 2020, was overcome with emotion in celebrating his victory as he added his name to the list of cycling greats, including Bernard Hinault and Eddy Merckx.
“It’s my first Liege and I won, it’s a dream come true,” said Evenepoel, who rides for the Belgian outfit Quick-Step-Alpha-Vinyl. “Finishing alone, with a lead of almost one minute in my favorite race, it’s unbelievable.”
Netherlands cyclist Annemiek van Vleuten won the women’s race for the second time.
The 39-year old former world champion said her prowess was “like fine wine, the strength comes with age.”
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