A right knee injury will put the ambitions of the 24-year-old Frenchman on hold for the time being.
Julian Alaphilippe, winner of the green and white jerseys at Paris-Nice this season, will not ride the Ardennes Classics, due to a knee injury he sustained last week, at Vuelta al Pais Vasco. The young Frenchman, who podiumed at his Milano-Sanremo debut three weeks ago, will undergo further examinations in the upcoming days, under the guidance of the team's medical staff, to determine the nature of his injury and the period he will be sidelined.
"It's a very difficult moment for me. In the past days I didn't train, hoping the pain will go away, but this didn't happen. I am sad to miss the Ardennes Classics, which I'm very fond of, but there really is nothing I can do about it. Despite this, I remain upbeat and hope to return as soon as possible to action. At the same time, I want to wish all the best to my teammates who will ride the Ardennes over the next weeks", said Julian, a runner-up in the past at both Flèche Wallonne (2015, 2016) and Liège–Bastogne–Liège (2015).
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele
Julian Alaphilippe 
