A knee injury will keep the 24-year-old Quick-Step Floors rider out of his home race.
Winner of a stage at this season's Paris-Nice, where he conquered the green and white jerseys en route to a superb top 5 overall, and podium finisher at his Milano-Sanremo debut, Julian Alaphilippe underwent surgery today in Belgium, which was performed by Doctor Toon Claes at the AZ St.-Elisabeth Clinic in Herentals.
After picking up a prepatellar lesion at last month's Vuelta al Pais Vasco, the team tried a conservative treatment, but as this didn't give the desired results, Quick-Step Floors' medical staff decided surgery on his right knee was necessary. Julian will need two weeks of complete rest before starting his rehabilitation, but it will be only after an additional two weeks that he will start training again on his bike. As a result, the 24-year-old will not race the Tour de France (1-23 July).
"I can't tell you how sad I am, there's really no words. The Tour de France was my primary goal of the year, and to miss it, after previously being forced to skip the Ardennes Classic, it's very disappointing. Now my focus is on making a full recovery and arriving in a good condition for the second part of the year. Fortunately, the season is still long and I hope to bounce back", said Julian Alaphilippe after today's surgery.
Photo credit: ©BrakeThrough Media
Julian Alaphilippe 
