ALAPHILIPPE. "MY NEW ADVENTURE WITH TUDOR, MY DESIRE FOR CLASSICS AND TOUR..."

INTERVIEW | 09/01/2025 | 08:20
di Francesca Monzone
Julian Alaphilippe made his first official appearance with his new team, Tudor by Fabian Cancellara, and although it is not a World Tour team, he is optimistic about his race schedule, which has not yet been officially established as they are waiting for wild cards for the Classics and Grand Tours.
"The only thing I can say about my program is that I will start in Portugal with the Figueira Classic on February 16th - explained the two-time world champion - then continue with the Algarve (from February 19th to 23rd). Paris-Nice (March 9-16) could also be in my program. Essentially, Amstel, Liège, Lombardy, and Tour stages are the races that motivate me the most. The Tour of Flanders will probably remain a dream, but I want to keep trying."
The French champion left Soudal Quick-Step after eleven seasons and many victories, and for him, a new adventure has begun with a team he believes in very much. In France, there have been several criticisms of Alaphilippe's choice, because instead of preferring a World Tour team, he opted for a lower-category formation and therefore cannot yet say anything precise about the races he will participate in.
"Honestly, World Tour or not, this has never been a problem for me. I have always followed my feelings. I asked myself: what do I want? I want to enjoy cycling in a good structure. The Tudor project corresponds to what I want, and there's nothing more to add."
Due to his fall at the World Championships in Zurich, Alaphilippe could not have a farewell race with Soudal-Quick Step, and although this partly disappointed him, he now looks ahead to a future where he wants to compete on equal terms with the best. "My goodbye did not go as I would have wanted, but we had known for some time that I was working on my last races for the team. Since I decided I would leave, I tried to enjoy every moment as much as possible."
In the last two years, the relationship between Loulou and Patrick Lefevere was quite turbulent, but the Frenchman always tried to keep the dialogue open, even though he ultimately had to go to another team. "Everyone knows that I am a person who attaches great importance to personal relationships. I will always carry in my heart some people who have worked with me for several years: yesterday I met Soudal at the airport, and it was nice to see them again even though we will no longer race together. When I decided to leave, I called Lefevere myself, and we had a nice conversation. We understood each other. Then I did not know that he would leave the team, and I do not know if it was entirely his choice, but at the same time, I was not very surprised." The transalpine has signed a three-year contract with Tudor, and for him, this could be the team with which he will end his career as a rider.
"It is certainly possible that I will end my career here. At the moment, I do not think about it too much because I always take one season at a time. But when my contract expires, I will be 35 years old. If I am still at the highest level then, I will be happy to continue, but we'll see."
There is much talk about safety and how to limit speed during races. Alaphilippe shares the view of many of his colleagues and thinks that the reduced gear system to decrease speed could be a good idea to limit falls during races. "There is still much to do for our safety, but reducing speed could certainly be a good measure. All of us cyclists want to contribute to safety in our sport. We are in contact with Adam Hansen, president of the riders' union, to find solutions. It is an important problem that cannot be easily solved. I do not feel unsafe in the race, but I feel that this is becoming more dangerous year after year. We are going faster and faster, and some riders are taking more and more risks, and this is a dangerous combination. Serious accidents happen every year, but I hope that in the future, all this can be avoided."

COMMENTI

Per poter commentare i post devi esser registrato.
Se sei giá nostro utente esegui il login altrimenti registrati.

TBRADIO

00:00

I VOTI DEL DIRETTORE

I VOTI DI STAGI. DAL CASINO' DI MONTECARLO ESCE ANCORA IL NUMERO DI POGACAR. BRAVISSIMO ROMELE

Tadej POGACAR. 10 e lode. Prudente, non dirompente: dicono. Lui pennella curve e disegna sogni. Se sente odore di preda, e lui non molla nulla. Fa un finale in crescendo, dopo aver accusato 3” da Hayter all’intermedio. Vince per nove...

VUELTA

VUELTA ESPAÑA. POGACAR SUBITO IN ROSSO: VITTORIA DAVANTI A HAYTER E TARLING. BRAVO ROMELE 11°

Pogacar subito in maglia rossa! Il fenomeno sloveno della UAE Team Emirates - XRG conquista la prima tappa della Vuelta Espana 2026 pedalando i 9 chilometri della cronometro di Monaco in 10' 57" ad oltre 51 KM/H di media. ...

PROFESSIONISTI

DEUTSCHLAND TOUR. LA TAPPA REGINA È DI PELLIZZARI! DEL TORO TORNA LEADER

Dopo una tappa a Burgos, Giulio Pellizzari si porta a casa una frazione anche al Deutschland Tour 2026. Sul traguardo di Bad Dürkheim il marchigiano ha battuto in una volata a due il suo amico Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team...

MERCATO

BALLERINI VERSO I SALUTI CON LA XDS ASTANA? ALLA PORTA VISMA, JAYCO E PINARELLO Q36.5

Davide Ballerini, al termine di questa stagione, potrebbe non proseguire la propria carriera agonistica con la XDS Astana, formazione con cui ha fatto il suo ingresso nel WorldTour nel 2019, prima di trasferirsi alla Soudal Quick-Step, dove ha corso per...

DONNE

TOUR OF BRITAIN WOMEN. TRIPLETTA WIEBES DAVANTI A LIPPERT E LE COURT PIENAAR

Ennesima prova di forza, ennesimo successo per Lorena Wiebes, il terzo al Tour of Britain. La fuoriclasse olandese del Team Sd Worx Protime ha vinto la quarta frazione da LLanidles ad Hay on Wye imponendosi allo sprint in un gruppo ristretto...

PISTA

MONDIALI. GHIRELLI D’ARGENTO NELLA VELOCITA’, DOMANI IL GRAN FINALE

Arriva un altro argento per la nazionale juniores: Matteo Ghirelli aggiunge una nuova medaglia alla sua rassegna iridata, chiudendo secondo nella finale della Velocità. Il faentino, già campione del mondo nel Km da fermo, si arrende solo al britannico Ioan...

PISTA

MONDIALI. FERRANTE ANCORA D'ARGENTO: SECONDA NEL KM, QUARTA PERUTA

Ancora una medaglia d’argento per Maya Ferrante, che dopo il secondo posto nella velocità sale di nuovo sul podio mondiale nel Km da fermo donne juniores. La trentina del Conscio Pedale del Sile chiude una prova di grande consistenza, restando...

PROFESSIONISTI

RENEWI TOUR. PHILIPSEN VINCE E TORNA LEADER, KOOIJ BEFFATO ANCORA AL FOTOFINISH! PODIO PER BORGO

Altra volata al cardiopalma al Renewi Tour 2026 e altra vittoria per Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-PremierTech) a Bilzen-Hoeselt dopo 187 km di tappa. Anche stavolta è servito il fotofinish e anche stavolta a farne le spese è Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM), già...

DILETTANTI

AVENIR. STELLA VOLATA PERFETTA A ST.VALLIER SU CAPRA: ARRIGHETTI, NEGRENTE E LORELLO NEI DIECI. VIDEO

La tappa più lunga del Tour de l’Avenir, i 230 km da Vierzon a Saint‑Vallier, porta la firma di Davide Stella. Il friulano della UAE Team Emirates Gen Z trova lo spunto vincente in una volata esplosa negli ultimi metri,...

PROFESSIONISTI

GIOCHI DEL MEDITERRANEO. IL PORTOGHESE ANTUNES DAVANTI A TUTTI: MAESTRI E GIAIMI AI PIEDI DEL PODIO

Tiago Antunes si prende la scena a Taranto con una prova di forza e senza sbavature. Il portoghese della Efapel Cycling, classe 1997, domina i 17 km della cronometro individuale Elite dei Giochi del Mediterraneo, chiudendo in 20'05" e confermando...