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

TOUR DE FRANCE

VERSO IL TOUR. LA MOVISTAR CON UNA MAGLIA SPECIALE, PER OMAGGIARE BARCELLONA E GAUDÌ

In vista della Grand Départ del Tour de France 2026 da Barcellona, la Movistar ha presentato una maglia speciale che rende omaggio alla città catalana e a due dei suoi simboli più celebri: Antoni Gaudí, nell'anno in cui ricorre il...

TOUR DE FRANCE

VERSO IL TOUR. SQUADRA DA FUGHE PER LA TOTALENERGIES

La TotalEnergies si prepara ad affrontare il Tour de France 2026, il ventisettesimo della propria storia e l’ultimo sotto la denominazione attuale, con una squadra costruita per mettersi in evidenza e animare le tappe. La formazione francese si presenta con...

TOUR DE FRANCE

VERSO IL TOUR. CI SONO GAVIRIA, OLDANI E BERWICK NELLA SELEZIONE DELLA CAJA RURAL

Sarà una lineup che proverà a lanciarsi all’attacco e ad esser protagonista su ogni terreno quella selezionata dalla Caja Rural-Seguros RGA per la sua prima storica partecipazione al Tour de France. Invitata (un po’ a sorpresa) da A.S.O., la...

ABBIGLIAMENTO

CASTELLI. ESPRESSO 2, COMFORT E FIT SENZA COMPROMESSI

La linea Espresso 2 è per Castelli qualcosa di iconico, un insieme di prodotti ambiti dai ciclisti più esigenti. Il motivo? Semplicissimo: ogni capo di questa linea è il frutto di uno studio preciso in cui tessuti avanzati, vestibilità perfetta...

FUORISTRADA

URBAN DOWNHILL. BIS DI ROGER VIEIRA AL RED BULL CERRO ABAJO GENOVA

Il rider brasiliano Roger Vieira ha vinto l'edizione 2026 del Red Bull Genova Cerro Abajo: suo il miglior tempo lungo i 2, 2 km di percorso per 279 m di dislivello attraverso il centro storico, da Monte Peralto a Largo...

TOUR DE FRANCE

VERSO IL TOUR. DE LIE E VAN EETVELT PUNTE DI UNA LOTTO INTERMARCHÈ A CACCIA DI TAPPE

È con un obiettivo molto ben chiaro in testa che la Lotto Intermarchè ha costruito la sua formazione per il Tour de France 2026: tornare a conquistare quella vittoria di tappa che alla squadra belga manca dal 18 luglio...

TOUR DE FRANCE

VERSO IL TOUR. UNA TUDOR D'ATTACCO CON ALAPHILIPPE, HIRSCHI, TRENTIN E VOISARD

La Tudor Pro Cycling si prepara per il Tour de France con obiettivi chiari, ambizioni definite e con alle spalle un intenso periodo di preparazione. «Il nostro unico obiettivo: vincere tappe - afferma il direttore sportivo Addy Engels -. Julian...

TOUR DE FRANCE

VERSO IL TOUR: NELLA SELEZIONE DELL’XDS ASTANA BALLERINI, VELASCO E TRE DEBUTTANTI

Si susseguono le ufficializzazioni dei roster per il Tour de France 2026, corsa che scatterà questo sabato da Barcellona con un’attesa cronosquadre di 19, 4 chilometri. A prendervi parte, in quanto formazione World Tour, vi sarà ovviamente anche l’XDS...

TOUR DE FRANCE

VERSO IL TOUR. LA COFIDIS VA A CACCIA DI TAPPE CON FRETIN E ARANBURU

La Cofidis è pronta per il Tour de France che partirà sabato da Barcellona e affronterà l’edizione 113 della Grande Boucle con un obiettivo ben preciso: andare a caccia di tappe. Che siano frazioni per velocisti, o dal percorso mosso...

TOUR DE FRANCE

VERSO IL TOUR. UAE TEAM EMIRATES: GLI SCUDIERI DI POGACAR

La UAE Team Emirates-XRG dirama ufficialmente le convocazioni per il Tour de France 2026 e per supportare Tadej Pogačar alla rincorsa del quinto successo in carriera come Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault e Miguel Induráin. Confermate le anticipazioni della...