Julian Alaphilippe abandons World Championships road race after early crash

Julian Alaphilippe (France) before the elite men's road race
Julian Alaphilippe (France) before the elite men's road race (Image credit: Getty Images)

Julian Alaphilippe’s hopes of a record-equalling third World Championships victory ended prematurely when he was forced out of the elite men’s road race by a crash before the peloton had even reached the finishing circuit around Zurich.

The Frenchman was reportedly among the fallers in a crash with 218km remaining. He abandoned the race shortly afterwards with an injury to his left shoulder.

Barry Ryan
Head of Features

Barry Ryan was Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.