Julien Absalon probably imagined the regional cyclo-cross championships in Saulxures-sur-Moselotte, France, differently. It was the BMC rider's last race of the current year and he was in the lead by around 30 seconds. On a descent, the record World Cup winner falls to the ground, bruises a few ribs and breaks his collarbone. "Julien can't explain how he fell, it happened very quickly," explained BMC team boss Alexandre Moos.

Absalon's preparation for the 2015 season will nevertheless not be severely affected, as Moos calmly explains: "For a top athlete, the timing of an injury is never optimal, but this could be far worse. Julien had planned to take a break from training after this race anyway, so part of the recovery time has already been compensated for. Initial investigations at the hospital have also revealed that he may not even need an operation. We'll know whether this is really the case next Wednesday after the next examination."

If his rehabilitation progresses as planned, Julien Absalon should be back to his old strength at the season opener in Nove Mesto in May.