Julian Alaphilippe retained within the French group for the Highway Biking Worlds
Julian Alaphilippe might be on the journey to Australia. The reigning double world champion of the street race has been retained within the French choice for the World Highway Biking Championships in Wollongong, 100 kilometers south of Sydney, mentioned Thomas Voeckler, the nationwide coach, on Tuesday. September 13.
Romain Bardet, Christophe Laporte, Valentin Madouas, Quentin Pacher, Florian Sénéchal, Pavel Sivakov, Rémi Cavagna and Bruno Armirail full the French delegation, which might be at first of the street race on September 25. The final two may also compete within the time trial, which can happen on September 18.
Among the many important absentees are David Gaudu, fourth within the Tour de France, Benoît Cosnefroy, winner of the Grand Prix de Québec final Friday, sprinter Arnaud Démare, Guillaume Martin and Thibaut Pinot.
Place reserved for the world champion
Julian Alaphilippe, 30, has not raced since August 31 and his retirement from a fall through the 11e stage of the Tour of Spain, which he left with a dislocated proper shoulder.
On paper, nonetheless, his presence was hardly doubtful, insofar as a spot is reserved for the reigning world champion whatever the quota of eight riders to which the French group is entitled. Thomas Voeckler subsequently didn’t have to decide on between himself and one other.
However his choice additionally acknowledges the truth that he was capable of rapidly resume coaching after leaving Vuelta, motivated by the prospect of defending his rainbow jersey on a 266.9 km course reduce for his qualities. of puncher.
Above all, it stays to know the state of type of the runner, who lived a nightmarish season throughout which he may have “noticed extra hospitals than he did races”based on the phrases of his supervisor throughout the Belgian formation Fast-Step Alpha Vinyl, Patrick Lefevere.
“A sequence of m…”
Julian Alaphilippe first fell violently through the Strade Bianche, at the start of March, in Tuscany, then suffered from bronchitis, which compelled him to forfeit Milan-Sanremo and the Tour of Flanders.
However it was on April 24 throughout Liège-Bastogne-Liège that he suffered the toughest blow of destiny: a formidable fall which left him within the ditch. Evaluation, a pneumothorax, two damaged ribs and a fracture to a shoulder blade, which required an extended hospitalization, then a protracted absence.
Restored, he was not retained by his group for the Tour de France and was then once more affected fairly severely by the Covid-19 on the finish of July. “A sequence of m…”he commented on the finish of July to sum up his season.
Patrick Lefevere had additionally judged “dangerous” the Frenchman’s participation within the Worlds and would have most popular him to deal with the Tour of Lombardy, the final basic of the season, on October 8.
However its rider is eager to defend his title, received in 2020 on the circuit of Imola, in Italy, and defended with panache in 2021 in Leuven, in Belgium. He’ll fly to Australia on Sunday, with the opposite seven riders engaged solely within the street race.
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