Looking at the density of the peloton, the age of the new terrors, always younger, and this bad luck who fell in love with Julian Alaphilippe in 2022, one would almost wonder if the best years of the Frenchman are not already behind him. Alaph’ is however only 30 years old and all his teeth, even that they scratch the floor.
“You have to have the sacred fire to stay at the highest level, and I always have the sacred fire,” said in The Team the Soudal-Quick Step runner, after a year in 2022 where he has, from memory, “known no real moment of happiness on the bike”. With, as a highlight, the terrible fall on Liège-Bastogne-Liège, which ends up depriving him of the Tour de France. A lesser evil given the circumstances. “Frankly, I don’t want to talk about it anymore, I’ve had my account. I like to win, I like to attack, not beat myself up. It’s hard to only hear about yourself through the falls. »
Les Flandriennes and the Tour de France as major objectives
If we had to wish only one thing to Alaph for 2023? “To win races. Simply. “His choice of calendar for the beginning of the year does not, however, go in the most natural direction. By favoring the Flandriennes to the Ardennaises, it is the pleasure before the chances of victory. “You have to take risks sometimes in a career, otherwise it can quickly become boring. Preparing for these races allows me to change my approach to the start of the season, although I will give the same importance as usual to the Italian classics in March. »
If it is not yet 100% said that he will skip the Ardennes, Julian Alaphilippe does not want to make a fuss of them during the spring. Because he has another objective: to find the Tour de France in top form. ” [Ca] will be another major goal of the year for me. I missed the Tour, I want to perform well and relive great emotions there. »