World champion Julien Alaphilippe said he is looking forward to returning this spring, six months after falling from an elite group at the Tour of Flanders last October.

The crash, which occurred in the finale of his debut race when he lost vision during a race heat, left Alaphilippe, the leader of the Detuninck-Quickstep team, with a double fracture in his right hand.

Alaphilippe said at the Belgian team's preseason virtual media day that he had more good memories of this race than bad ones.

"Only the crash is a bad memory, but other than that it's a good memory because the team atmosphere was great. It was my first time and I'm happy with the race we were able to do as a team."

"If we can come back again, it will definitely motivate us even more. The team really loves the Classic and there was a good atmosphere. I'm looking forward to coming back."

Alaphilippe said his injured hand is recovering but is still not 100%. He is still unable to sprint in the fall, but hopes to be back to normal "within a few weeks" and definitely before his first big goal in 2021.

A return trip to Flanders is likely to be the centerpiece of the spring campaign, but a rider as versatile as Alaphilippe should have no trouble with his options moving forward in the season, barring the COVID-19 disruption seen in 2020.

In the past two years, the 28-year-old Alaphilippe has won Milan-San Remo, Strade Bianche, and La Flèche Wallonne, challenged for GC in the Tour de France, and won the world championship in Imola. This season, the possibilities are endless, including the World Championships in Leuven and the Tokyo Olympics.

"We start with the Tour de la Provence. I'm happy to start with the French rainbow jersey. Then it's Liège-Bastogne-Liège. I'm very motivated. But I have to go step by step toward my goal. For me, I'm concentrating on the first half of the season. The second half is the Tour de France and the Olympics.

"Then the World Championships will be the last part. I'll have time to think about it."

The Omloop Het Nieuwsblad debut will also be on the schedule, and Tirreno-Adriatico is another possibility for the spring. The Tour de France, which ends five days before the Tokyo Olympics road race, will be a major focus, but he again insisted that he has not yet studied the route and will not start the race with an overall contender in mind.

"I know I'm not going for the overall at the Tour de France," he said. But I don't know, the 2019 Tour de France was a good surprise for me, but my first goal is to perform well in the early part of the season."

"[The route] looks good. I don't know about the stages. For me the Tour comes after the early season, so I don't know about the stages, but I know there are some good stages that are perfect for me. The rest will come later."

So, the big races are in store for Alaphilippe. He will be racing in the famous rainbow jersey, and when asked if he is worried about the so-called "curse of the rainbow jersey," he replied emphatically.

Alaphilippe's only answer to this question was a simple "no," and the Frenchman is confident that his abilities will overcome the historic curse of being a world champion.

Beyond the race, another big question looms over Alaphilippe in 2021. It will not be answered until the end of the season, at least not until August, but the French star will have to make a decision about his future this year.

His contract with Deceuninck-QuickStep is up for renewal, and AG2R Citroën is already casting a covetous eye on Alaphilippe. Barring an unforeseen financial crisis at his current team, he is likely to extend his eight-year tenure with the team that catapulted him to stardom. But that decision, or any decision to the contrary, is unlikely to be made anytime soon.

"Honestly, I'm not thinking about this," Alaphilippe said. "I'm focused on the beginning of the season and what I have to do. Now is not the time yet."