Julian Alaphilippe, forfeited at the Amstel Gold Race and the Flèche Wallonne, will return to Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday in a supporting role for Remco Evenepoel, his Soudal-Quick Step team announced on Friday.
The former French double world champion had missed the first Ardennes classics after his fall in the Tour of Flanders which he had left with a damaged left knee.
Second in Liège in 2021, “Alaf” had experienced a nightmare last year on the Doyenne by being thrown violently against a tree at 70 km / h. Victim of a pneumothorax, a fractured shoulder blade and two broken sides, he had taken months to recover and had to give up the Tour de France.
After a dark season, the Auvergne puncher started 2023 rather well with a victory on February 25 in the Ardèche Classic, only his third success since his second world champion title in 2021.
But since then, bad luck has caught up with him. He first fell ill before the E3 Grand Prix where he retired, before crashing on the Tour of Flanders.
Sunday, even if the hilly course is cut for his qualities, he should, given his uncertain degree of form, first occupy a role as a teammate for Remco Evenepoel, the defending champion, who will try to deprive Tadej Pogacar of the hat-trick in the Ardennes.
“We will see what role Julian will have. He knows this race well, which suits him perfectly. The most important thing is that he can train without pain and that he is at the start,” said his sporting director Geert Van Bondt.