Jorgenson back on his bike a week after Amstel crash, — Liège a step too far

Visma | Lease a Bike head into Sunday's Liège-Bastogne-Liège — the final Monument of the spring — without their intended leader Matteo Jorgenson. Following his crash at the Amstel Gold Race last week, the team has turned to Ben Tulett as their strongest card to play in the finale.

On Saturday, the team posted a video on social media of Jorgenson at the team hotel. It shows the American — post broken collarbone operation — back on the rollers just six days after his crash in South Limburg. Liège is, understandably, too soon.

In Jorgenson's absence, the team's focus shifts primarily to Ben Tulett, who took a fine third place at La Flèche Wallonne on Wednesday. Jørgen Nordhagen — a co-leader in Huy but not in the picture for Sunday — has been left out.

Steven Kruijswijk, Menno Huising, Filippo Fiorelli, Owain Doull, Tim Rex and Pietro Mattio will complete the squad.

Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe have also named their squad for Liège. Leader Remco Evenepoel will have support from Jai Hindley, Daniel Felipe Martínez and Finn Fisher-Black in the finale, with Haimar Etxeberria, Nico Denz and Jan Tratnik also in the team. Maxim Van Gils — who did do the course reconnaissance with Evenepoel — is not yet fit to race.

Tudor Pro Cycling, meanwhile, confirmed that leader Julian Alaphilippe will not start in the Ardennes, having already abandoned both the Amstel Gold Race and La Flèche Wallonne early. "Julian Alaphilippe will unfortunately miss both Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Eschborn-Frankfurt due to medical reasons," the team stated. "As a result, he will not be competing in the upcoming events in order to prioritise his health and ensure a full return to racing. In the meantime, we wish him a smooth recovery."