Alaphilippe was the victim of a gliding flight during the Tour of Flanders.

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Luc CLAESSEN / BELGA / AFP

After the terrible fall of Julian Alaphilippe on Sunday during the Tour of Flanders, which cost him both the opportunity to win for the first time in his career on the Round but also beautiful fractures to the wrist and a stay at the hospital to undergo surgery, remains a question?

How did these two motorcycles end up so close to the leading trio (Alaphilippe, Van Aert and Van der Poel), to the point that they had to swerve on the road at the last moment to avoid them?

"Perhaps the rider Shimano was instructed by the president of the jury to get behind the leading riders and he thus slowed down the one behind," Patrick Lefévère, the manager of the Deceuninck-Quick Step team, sought out from our team. colleagues from L'Equipe.

But in any case, these motorcycles had nothing to do there.

The pilots should have positioned themselves outside, as it was a slight right turn.

We all know that cyclists are always looking for the shortest route, it was obvious that he would pass there and not opposite.

The riders did not understand what was happening, we saw that Mathieu was upset.

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An investigation will be carried out by the UCI

Asked about the possible careless error of the French puncher, who was trying to contact his team via the headset when the shock occurred, the boss of the Belgian team does not want to hear about it: “Van der Poel also has almost got on the bike when he wasn't talking to anyone.

We know how it goes on a bicycle, when the first manages to avoid an obstacle, it is always difficult for the one who is in his wheel to do the same and even more for the third.

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An investigation will be opened by the jury of UCI commissaires to understand the position of the two motorcycles in question, even if, as Tom Van Damme, the president of the Belgian Federation says, “unfortunately, that will never give us back. scenario that was being prepared with these three champions in mind until the finish.

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