Alaphilippe ruled out of Liège for medical reasons

Julian Alaphilippe has been withdrawn from upcoming races including Sunday's Liège-Bastogne-Liège for undisclosed or unclear health reasons having struggled in his favoured Ardennes Classics – he was unable to finish either Amstel Gold or La Flèche Wallonne which he's won three times. "Julian Alaphilippe will unfortunately miss both Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Eshborn-Frankfurt due to medical reasons," his team Tudor Pro Cycling announced in an Instagram story 24 hours before Liège, where the two-time world champion has finished runner-up twice. "As a result, he will not be competing in the upcoming events in order to prioritize his health and ensure a full return to racing." With these two races scrubbed, the Frenchman's next scheduled appearance is the Tour de France where he'd be expected to play a key role in Tudor's second outing at the premier Grand Tour.