Julian Alaphilippe
With 12 victories so far in 2018, the enigmatic Frenchman is a vital component of race-winning machine Quick-step Floors. Cyclist catches up with him at his latest triumph, the Tour of Britain
Cyclist: You’ve just won the Tour of Britain, having taken a stage victory along the way. Did you expect such a successful week?
Julian Alaphilippe: I came here without any real ambitions because I took a break following the Tour de France and Clásica San Sebastián. I just came here with the goal of assessing my condition and maybe trying for a stage victory. Now, I leave with a stage victory and the General Classification having only trained for 10 days beforehand. I’m surprised but also very happy.
Cyc: What will be your abiding memories of racing in Britain?
JA: To be honest, my best memories of the Tour of Britain will not come from winning but from the race itself. I really enjoyed it. I like its style. One week, every stage is different, steep climbs, small roads, up, down. Even the ‘easy’ stages are hard. There was always something happening and it was never boring, which really suits me. Plus some of the scenery was pretty beautiful, we got lucky with only one day of rain and even the food has been good.
Cyc: So can you take your Tour of Britain form into the World Championships at the end of the month?
JA: Maybe, but whatever happens I will need to be at my top level because the course looks to be really hard. Any result will be a bonus. If I go well, then I’ll be happy. If not, I will have no regrets in just trying.
Cyc: You are constantly looking to attack a race, even if the race doesn’t suit your capabilities, and sometimes it doesn’t work out for you. Is that just your style?
JA: Yes, I ride with my heart. For example, look at Whinlatter Pass [on Stage 6 of the Tour of Britain]. I attacked early to try and take the jersey off of Primoz [Roglic] and it worked. I will always prefer to lose everything trying than to not try and finish second.
Cyc: You took an impressive victory at Flèche Wallonne in April, having finished second twice before. Was it just a matter of time before you took victory?
JA: Not at all. When you finish second on the podium twice, people start to expect. They think it means eventually winning is easy, but it is not. I still had to work hard and have my team sacrifice themselves for me to win. I was so proud of that performance.
Cyc: Four days after Flèche Wallonne, you had to sacrifice your own ambitions
at Liège-bastogne-liège to help Bob Jungels take the win. Is it difficult to sometimes forfeit your own chances for a teammate?
JA: No, it’s our team spirit to ride for one another, the spirit of the ‘Wolfpack’. Look at this week, Bob sacrificed himself completely for me [at the Tour of Britain]. It’s what we do. Sometimes we ride for me, sometimes for Bob, sometimes for Philippe Gilbert or others. But whoever we ride for, we ride aggressively and we always race to win.
Cyc: With this aggressive attitude and more than 60 victories in 2018, is it hard to understand how [team manager] Patrick Lefevere is still struggling to find sponsorship money for next year?
JA: Unfortunately no, because that’s just cycling at the moment. Cycling is not like football. We have to rely on sponsors to fund us, and even if we end up with more than 70 wins by the end of the year that means nothing. But I am confident that Patrick will work something out.
Cyc: You took two stages [10 and 16] and the mountain classification at this year’s Tour. What did that mean to you?
JA: To win just once at the Tour was my dream so to win twice and take the polka dot jersey was incredible. I never expected it. It was also very special because there has been a big change for me in the eyes of the French public. I mean, I haven’t changed but now the public wants more. I cannot really explain it – it’s just going so fast. It’s special but I really need to take a break after this is all done!
Cyc: By the public wanting more, do you mean the Tour yellow jersey? Could you win it one day or are you going to remain a one-day man?
JA: Yes, the public wants me to, but at the moment I’m not thinking about yellow at the Tour. I want to enjoy my recent achievements first.
I may want more in the future but the general classification question is not for now. At the moment, I want to focus on the Classics. Liège-bastogne-liège is a big dream and I also think about races like the Tour of Flanders and maybe even Paris-roubaix.
I do often think about racing Flanders but whether I do so soon is a decision for the team. But who knows? Maybe I could even win all five Monuments one day.
Cyc: So does that mean your preparations for 2019 will be based around winning Liège?
JA: No, no. Firstly, I don’t want to think about next season yet. I want to enjoy this season first because it really has been incredible from my first win in Colombia in February to here in Britain. I have had no bad luck with injuries and I have had good shape for each of my goals, which is rare and something I will not forget. Secondly, it will not be about winning Liège – more about just winning races and being happy.
‘Cycling is not like football. We have to rely on sponsors to fund us, and even if we end up with more than 70 wins that means nothing’