Slovenian star Tadej Pogacar was forced to retire from the Liege-Bastogne-Liege one-day classic on Sunday after a fall 85 kilometers into the race.

Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates said their rider had been taken to hospital.

"He has a wrist injury and has gone to hospital for tests," the team said.

Liege-Bastogne-Liege was the final race on Pogacar's program before he set off for altitude training in the lead-up to the Tour de France, where he came second last year.

Pogacar crashed with Dane Mikkel Honore who also had to pull out of the race.

His teammates waited to help their leader catch up with the main group, but the 24-year-old could not continue.

The two-time Tour de France champion came into the Monument classic off the back of winning the Amstel Gold Race and the Fleche Wallonne.

Pogacar had been aiming to become only the third man to complete a hat-trick of Ardennes classic wins, after Davide Rebellin in 2004 and Philippe Gilbert in 2011.

Pogacar's misfortune left defending champion Remco Evenepoel as the race favourite.