PARIS, April 24 — Slovenian cycling star Tadej Pogacar said today he counted himself "lucky” to have only broken a wrist in a "crazy crash” in the Liege-Bastogne-Liege classic.

The 24-year-old suffered a fall after 85 kilometres of yesterday’s race and underwent an operation later that day in Belgium.

It comes two months out from the start of the Tour de France, which gets underway on July 1 and runs till July 23.

There he will bid to regain his crown having been deposed last year by Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard after winning the previous two editions.

"I am lucky it just broken wrist, considering crazy crash that happened,” Pogacar posted on Instagram along with photographs showing him smiling with his left arm in plaster.

"I really wish the best recovery to Mikkel Honore who went down way harder than me.

"I hope to see you all really soon,” added Pogacar, who did not give more specific details of how long he might be absent for.

The crash dashed Pogacar’s hopes of a sweep of the Ardennes classics having won the Amstel Gold Race and Fleche Wallonne in the past week. — AFP