Alaphilippe gets emotional Tour stage win

NICE, France – France’s fastest showman on two wheels is back making a splash at the Tour de France and once again wearing the iconic yellow jersey.

Julian Alaphilippe, the rider who more than any other helped turn the 2019 edition into a thriller, again showered the Tour with his class and guile Sunday, poaching victory on Stage 2 in the picture-postcard Mediterranean city of Nice and taking the overall race lead.

A final burst of acceleration timed with precision enabled Alaphilippe to shake two pursuers and hold off the main pack of riders furiously gaining ground on the finishing straight.

Deprived of wins since his feats that enchanted French fans last summer, Alaphilippe kissed his finger and raised it to the sky as he crossed the line, a tribute to his father who died in June.

“I promised myself that I’d win for him,” Alaphilippe said after outsprinting Marc Hirschi and Adam Yates, who completed the podium.

“I hadn’t won a single race this year yet. But I’ve always remained serious with my training despite the difficult moments I went through. I dedicate this victory to my father.”

The stage win, his fifth in four Tours, will anchor his status as a darling of French cycling fans, conquered by his thrilling riding at last year’s edition, when he held the race lead for 14 days.

He is now back in yellow, thanks to time bonuses picked up for winning the stage and on the final climb of the arduous day of riding through mountains north of Nice.

And while Alaphilippe is playing down any hope of winning the overall title in Paris in three weeks, he intends to cling onto the coveted jersey for as long as he can.

“The yellow jersey has to be respected,” he said. “I will defend it with honor.”

Alaphilippe, however, insisted he did not enter the race to fight for the general classification. He has big ambitions for the one-day classics that will follow the Tour this autumn and does not want to burn all his energy during the grueling three-week race.

“We did not come here to win the Tour de France,” he said.

STEPHANE MAHE/POOL PHOTO VIA AP France’s Julian Alaphilippe, celebrates Sunday as he crosses the finish line to win the second stage of the Tour de France.