PURE AGONY
Watch Julian Alaphilippe scream in agony after breaking hand following freak crash into motorbike at Tour of Flanders
JULIAN ALAPHILIPPE was left screaming in agony after breaking his hand in a freak accident involving a motorbike during the Tour of Flanders.
The world champion cyclist went head over heels after clipping the bike, landing awkwardly on his elbow.
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His race ended in an abrupt fashion, in cries of pain.
Alaphilippe, 28, crashed out of the inside the final 40 kilometres of the stage.
He had been trailing closely behind Wout van Aert and eventual winner Mathieu van der Poel as the trio passed a couple of slow-moving motorbikes on the edge of the road.
But the third-placed Frenchman misjudged the gap to one motorbike, and clipped it as he rode through at full pace.
The impact left Alaphilippe flipping in the air before hitting the deck as his bike bounced into the grass.
He appeared to fall awkwardly onto his left elbow and, when taken to hospital, X-rays showed two fractures in his hand.
The agonised cries of the cyclist could be heard as he was passed by his competitors.
Norway’s Alexander Kristoff ended up in third place.
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Dutchman van der Poel beat his powerful Belgian rival van Aert in a photo-finish sprint when the race finally concluded.
Van Aert spoke about the crash after the race.
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He said: "A few motorbikes wanted to go behind us, because our gap was growing.
"I wanted to take profit as much as possible to go behind the moto, and I think Julian was not concentrating or something. It’s a real pity that he hit the moto."
It's the latest incident in an unfortunate year for Alaphilippe.
Earlier this month, he celebrated winning a race prematurely and was overtaken before the finish line.
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