Julian Alaphilippe: World champion cyclist badly injured after hitting tree in high-speed crash

By Issy Ronald, CNN

Updated 1015 GMT (1815 HKT) April 25, 2022

Julian Alaphilippe crashed heavily on Sunday's Liège-Bastogne-Liège and sustained two broken ribs, a broken shoulder-blade and a collapsed lung.

(CNN)World champion Julian Alaphilippe sustained multiple injuries after hitting a tree at high speed during Sunday's Liège-Bastogne-Liège — one of cycling's most prestigious one-day races.

In the crash, Alaphilippe «suffered two broken ribs, a broken scapula and a hemo pneumothorax [collapsed lung],» according to a statement released by his team, QuickStep AlphaVinyl. «His condition is stable, but will need to be hospitalised for observation,» the statement continued.The Frenchman crashed 60 kilometers from the finish in a mass pile-up that decimated much of the peloton, fell down a ditch, hit a tree, and was initially hidden from view by foliage. Such was the severity of Alaphilippe's condition that Romain Bardet — a rival from another team — put aside his own hopes of victory to scramble to his compatriot's aid. Read MoreBardet stayed with Alaphilippe until trained medics arrived.«It was just a nightmare,» Bardet said at the finish to cycling website VeloNews.«When I looked around, I saw Julian maybe five or six meters down, and it was an emotional shock because he was in a bad situation. No one was coming and he really needed help. It was an emergency situation. He couldn't move, he couldn't breathe.»«He felt conscious but he couldn't really talk. I really hope that he's OK. The mechanic came, then the doctor. The road was completely blocked. »A lot of guys were involved in a very bad situation. No one saw him, you couldn't really see him from the road… After that, I was in shock. The race was gone. I was lucky to