Romain Bardet says ‘anyone would’ve done the same’ after helping injured Julian Alaphilippe at Liege-Bastogne-Liege

Romain Bardet stressed any cyclist in his position would have done the same after the Frenchman was widely praised for sacrificing his own Liege-Bastogne-Liege chances to help the injured Julian Alaphilippe. A huge crash on Sunday saw Alaphilippe (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) among the injured riders, suffering two broken ribs, a fractured shoulder blade and a collapsed lung after hitting a tree and ending up in a ditch.

Ad/> Alaphilippe remained in hospital overnight for further checks, and reflecting on the incident, Bardet (Team DSM) said he was “touched” by messages he received after he was seen heading down the steep verge to check on his compatriot. Liège — Bastogne — LiègeOpinion: Evenepoel is back and on his way to greatness once again15 HOURS AGO «Still struggling to put words to yesterday's events, the distress of these faces and these bruised bodies following this fall,» Bardet, the recent Tour of the Alps winner, said in a statement.

«I think of Julian, but also of all these guys heavily affected who had to see their lives slip by, when at more than 70km/h the whistle of the peloton gave way to the chaos, to the sound of exploding equipment and human cries that arise. “I am very touched by your messages, but I honestly think that anyone in this situation absolutely would have done the same — there is no competition in the face of the danger of physical integrity.» ‘He couldn’t really talk’ – Bardet sacrifices chances to help injured Alaphilippe Alaphilippe suffers collapsed lung, broken ribs in big pile-up Evenepoel soars to sensational win after nasty Alaphilippe crash Speaking at the finish, an emotional Bardet told VeloNews: “It was just a nightmare.