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

NEWS

BAJAJ PUNE GRAND TOUR, BROWNING FA SUO IL PROLOGO E LA PRIMA MAGLIA GIALLA

È stato un prologo decisamente a tinte australiane quello che ha aperto la prima storica edizione del Bajaj Pune Grand Tour. Con il tempo di 8:05, infatti, Fergus Browning ha coperto i 7, 5 chilometri previsti dall’atto inaugurale della...

APPROFONDIMENTI

TOUR DOWN UNDER 2026, DOMANI RIPARTE IL GRANDE CICLISMO: PERCORSO E FAVORITI

Archiviata la gara femminile, in Australia cominciano le danze anche per gli uomini con il Tour Down Under 2026. Dal 2008 non solo apre la stagione professionistica (se si escludono i campionati australiani), ma anche il circuito del WorldTour. Appuntamento...

NEWS

UNIBET ROSE ROCKETS, GROENEWEGEN AFFINA IL TRENO SOTTO LA GUIDA DI KITTEL: “VOGLIO ESSERE DI NUOVO LA MIGLIOR VERSIONE DI ME STESSO”

Anno nuovo, vita (decisamente) nuova per Dylan Groenewegen. Dopo dieci stagioni nel World Tour (sei con la Jumbo-Visma e quattro con la Jayco-AlUla), il velocista olandese ha deciso infatti di scendere di categoria per sposare la causa e diventare...

BICICLETTE

«SECOND CHANCE», IL NUOVO PROGETTO DI SELLE ROYAL IN COLLABORAZIONE CON PIEDELIBERO

Ogni anno, solo a Firenze, circa 1.800 biciclette rubate o abbandonate, finiscono nel deposito comunale. Grazie al progetto Piedelibero, che coinvolge direttamente i detenuti del carcere di Firenze, molte di queste biciclette trovano una nuova vita. È in questo contesto che nasce Second...

CONTINENTAL

XDS ASTANA DEVO. SQUADRA RINNOVATA CON BEN SETTE ITALIANI

La squadra continentale XDS Astana Development Team è impegnata nel suo secondo ritiro di allenamento in vista dell'inizio della stagione 2026. La squadra ha completato la formazione del suo roster, che quest'anno includerà 19 corridori: 16 corridori principali e tre...

PROFESSIONISTI

UAE TOUR. PRESENTATA L'EDIZIONE 2026 CON UNA CRONO E UNA NUOVA SALITA. GALLERY

Questa mattina, presso l'Abu Dhabi Zayed National Museum, sono stati presentati i percorsi ufficiali dell'ottava edizione dell'UAE Tour e della quarta edizione dell'UAE Tour Women, le uniche gare UCI WorldTour che si svolgono in Medio Oriente. Gli organizzatori dell'UAE Tour,...

DONNE

UAE TOUR WOMEN. TRE VOLATE E LA DECISIONE FINALE A JABEL HAFEET. GALLERY

Presentato questa mattina ad Abu Dhabi anche il percorso dell’UAE Tour Women: tre arrivi in volata e un arrivo in salita a Jebel Hafeet sono le caratteristiche distintive della gara, con la vittoria finale che probabilmente verrà decisa negli ultimi 10 km...

NEWS

QUANDO LA FIAMMA ARDE SOTTO IL BALCONE DI GIULIETTA...

Momento storico a Verona! Elia Viviani e sua moglie Elena Cecchini, coppia d'oro del ciclismo italiano, si sono incontrati presso il Balcone di Giulietta per scambiarsi la fiamma olimpica delle Olimpiadi Invernali Milano-Cortina 2026. Anche Verona, città dell'amore, è pronta...

TUTTOBICI

GATTI & MISFATTI. NON MI SEMBRA IL MOMENTO DI FAR PAGARE I TIFOSI

A quanto pare il ciclismo sta trovando la soluzione perfetta ai suoi sogni di business: far pagare il biglietto ai tifosi. Lineare, ai limiti del candore, il ragionamento: ormai si paga tutto, si paga persino per vedere un affresco in...

CICLOCROSS

COPPA DEL MONDO. BENIDORM E IL SOGNO REALIZZATO DI ORTS

La Spagna ieri a Benidorm ha fatto festa con il terzo posto dell’idolo di casa Felipe Orts. Il corridore nato a Villajoyosa, a meno di 20 km da Banidorm, trascorre gran parte della stagione in Belgio, dove si allena e...