Alexis Vuillermoz injured in car crash

PARIS (AFP) — Alexis Vuillermoz, winner of stage 8 in the 2015 Tour de France, will be sidelined for a least a month after suffering an injury in a car crash, his Ag2r La Mondiale team announced Friday.

The 28-year-old Frenchman fractured his first lumbar vertebrae, according to Dr. Eric Bouvat who conducted an MRI.

“It is important to take good care of a back injury so as not to risk the continuation of my season,” said Vuillermoz, who was slated to race the Volta a Valenciana February 1-5.

Vuillermoz did not win any races in 2016, but he collected a handful of podium finishes, at Tour du Haut Var-Matin, Grand Prix de Plumelec-Morbihan, and the Tour de France.