Romain Bardet (Team DSM) received an award from the International Committee for Fair Play for sacrificing his own result to save World Champion Julien Alaphilippe, who fell down an embankment in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, out of sight of team staff and medics. He received a commendation from the International Committee for Fair Play for his sacrifice of his own result.

Hungarian fencer Dr. Jeno Kamuti, president of the CIFP, presented Bardet with a "Special Certificate of Fair Play Conduct" during the opening stage of the Giro d'Italia's Grande Partenza in Budapest on Friday.

Bardet was involved in a group crash that occurred on a steep downhill in the last few kilometers of the Liege-Bastogne-Liege stage, where he saw his compatriot Alaphilippe hit a tree and go off the road.

Alaphilippe, of Quick Step Alphavinil, suffered broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a fractured shoulder blade, and had difficulty breathing.

"I was very scared of Julien," Bardet told French radio station RMC after the race. 'I fell on the same side and I saw him three meters below me. He said to me: 'I'm stuck, I'm stuck. He said to me, 'I can't move, I can't move. No one came."

"It's a scene you really want to avoid in cycling. I tried to call someone, but the car was blocked and it took so long. It only happened for four or five minutes, but it was a really shocking scene. I don't ride a bike to see people lying down like that."

He then added, "I'm not a cyclist." I'm very moved by all the reports, but in fact, I think anyone would have done the same thing in that situation."

As long as there is a risk of injury, there is no rival.

The CIFP was formed in 1963 after the death of Danish cyclist Knud Jensen, who suffered dizziness and a fractured skull in a fall at the 1960 Olympics. The Danish team trainer admitted administering performance enhancing drugs to the athlete that may have led to his death.