After the fall of Flanders: Alaphilippe does not blame the motorcyclists



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“It was just a racing accident”

By Happy Mattis

Photo to text "After the fall of Flanders: Alaphilippe does not blame the motorcyclists"
The moment when Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck – Quick-Step) collided with the jury’s motorcycle (hidden in the photo) and crashed. | Photo: Cor Vos

29.10.2020 | (rsn) – Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck – Quick-Step) spoke out after his unfortunate incident during the Tour of Flanders, where he broke his right hand when he hit a standing jury bike. He’s not blaming the biker, the Frenchman told L’Equipe.

“I heard he felt guilty but he shouldn’t worry and I hope this interview helps him. I don’t blame him, it was just a racing accident,” said Alaphilippe.

After the crash, many fans and fellow riders, such as inexperienced Remco Evenepoel, who was often short-tempered on Twitter, cursed the biker who had stopped on the right side of the road to let the leading trio pass and follow him – exactly. how was his job. But anyone familiar with the trials in the racing convoy immediately realized that the motorcyclist was the least responsible for the accident.

Wout Van Aert (Jumbo – Visma) had approached to the right at the head of the trio to get sucked into the bike. He swerved late to escape, Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin – Fenix) on his rear wheel even later, and Alaphilippe finally had no reaction time.

“I couldn’t do anything else”

“I can handle the bike – I can get around obstacles, I can go through tight spaces – but then there is nothing I could do,” said Alaphilippe in retrospect. “I heard people say I was on the spark and therefore I wasn’t focused. But it doesn’t matter if I looked in front of me or behind me, if I had my hands on the handlebars or not, if I drank … It wouldn’t have made any difference. der Poel moved at the last moment, I couldn’t do anything “. The Frenchman also stressed that he did not want to hold van der Poel accountable.

Ten days after the incident, it’s now “OK,” Alaphilippe said. “I know it could have been a lot worse. In the days following the surgery, I didn’t expect so much pain. I slept badly. But it’s good that she underwent an operation, even if I didn’t hope so, so my Winter starts . Now I am happy to be at home and not to suffer so much anymore. “

At the beginning of November there will be a meeting of the Deceuninck – Quick-Step team in Belgium, after which Alaphilippe will visit the doctor who operated on him in Herentals to see when he can get back in the saddle.

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