Cycling
While the suspense was complete as to his participation in the Tour de France, Julian Alaphilippe was ultimately not selected by his Quick-Step team to take part in the Grande Boucle. A decision that was beyond doubt within the Belgian formation according to Cyrille Guimard.
On April 24, while he was engaged in the classic Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Julian Alaphilippe was the victim of a terrible accident. The Frenchman was trapped in a fall in the heart of the peloton, and had seen his race end in the ravine, at the foot of a tree. Taken to hospital in the process, the reigning double world champion had fractured two ribs, a shoulder blade and also suffered from hemopneumothorax. Serious injuries which kept him away from the roads for almost two months, and which clearly raised fears of a package from the wearer of the rainbow jersey in the most important competition of the year: the Tour de France.
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Alaphilippe finally not at the start of the Tour
But Julian Alaphilippe has a champion mentality, and didn’t give up. The tricolor carried out an express recovery, and got back on his bike in June during a training camp with his formation, the Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl. Then the puncher made his big return to competition this Sunday, on the occasion of the French Championships on the road, i.e. five days before… the big departure of the Tour de France. A crucial race for Alafwhich allowed to know more about his level of form and to determine his participation or not in the Big loop. Unfortunately, his team announced on Monday that the 30-year-old rider would not be at the start of the Round in Copenhagen on Friday. If the Quick-Step maintained the suspense and waited for the last moment to announce that the former Yellow Jersey would not be aligned in July, the decision was no doubt in the minds of the Belgian team, according to Cyrille Guimardformer rider and team manager.
“If it’s to be in front of the broom wagon every day…”
“The most important thing is the rider’s health and his ability to seek his best level in the next two months. As world champion, you don’t start the Tour if you are not able to live up to this jersey. I don’t think that at some point, the leaders of Quick-Step and Franck Alaphilippe [son entraineur] could have imagined that he could be competitive in the Tour de France”he said in remarks reported by CyclingNewsbefore adding that “If it’s to be in front of the broom wagon every day, it’s better for him to be in front of the television and go to train in the morning. And after August it will be ready. »
Guimard approves the decision of the Quick-Step
“What I would not have understood is that we select him” confessed the Druid. “There are two things that need to be taken into account regarding Alaphilippe. First of all, Julian’s legitimate desire to be in the greatest play in the world of cycling sport, the Tour de France. He is someone who needs to create emotion, so I understand that he wanted to go there. Besides that, there are other laws, and in particular physiological laws. The decision that has been taken is wise, logical” explains the former sports director of Gypsy and Renaultconcluding: “For a runner who hasn’t redone enough workloads, it’s still dangerous to start a three-week race. It’s not the French Championship, a race where he was in the wheel – he also knows how to take cover – and where he showed up two laps from the end. It was perfect for a comeback, but it’s not three days of curbs in Denmark, plus the cobbles and the mountain behind ».