For his father: Poignant win from Alaphilippe
NICE, FRANCE » Racing across the finish line at the Tour de France, Julian Alaphilippe kissed his finger and raised it to the sky, dedicating his win Sunday on Stage 2 to his father who died in June.
“I promised myself that I’d win for him,” the French rider said.
The tribute and the thrilling manner of his victory showed that even amid the coronavirus crisis, the Tour is still a mighty generator of emotions.
Many of its fans are heeding government pleas to watch the action on TV from the safety of their couches. Those still turning out in towns and villages as the race zooms past are being urged to keep their distance, to prevent the virus from contaminating the riders for whom they cheer through face masks.
And yet, despite all this, the opening weekend of the Tour still set hearts racing, with dramatic spills on the rain- slickened opening day followed by Alaphilippe’s poignant win. No one can be sure that the race will negotiate its way through France’s worsening infections to the finish in Paris on Sept. 20. Yet the show, for now at least, is most definitely on — with Alaphilippe back in the race leader’s iconic yellow jersey, once again showing the way.
Having already done more than any other rider to turn the 2019 edition into a thriller, the darling of French cycling fans again showered the Tour with his class and guile in poaching victory in the picturepostcard Mediterranean city of Nice.
A final 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 finishing straight.
Deprived of wins since his fan- beguiling feats last summer left him drained, Alaphilippe is talking down any hope of winning the overall title in Paris. But he intends to cling to the prized jersey for as long as possible and proved last year that once on his shoulders, it’s tough to peel off. He held the race lead for 14 days.
“The yellow jersey has to be respected,” he said. “I will defend it with honor.”