At the end of the line, the voice is cheerful. Bernard Hinault likes to talk about Julian Alaphilippe, still in yellow after the stage in Orcières-Merlette. The Badger instinctively feels that the Yellow Tour Jersey is of the same species as him. The one he has often lamented the absence of in the past: the dynamiters and the daring in the race.
You must be delighted to see Alaphilippe keep his yellow tunic …
BERNARD HINAULT. Obviously. Guys like that, I would like plenty in the peloton! We would stop talking about padlocked races where we get bored. What I like about him is that he tries when he feels it. Not when the others decided for him. He dares, he takes risks and you have seen how crazy it is: it pays. Without him, I think the first week of the Tour would be boring with the two big teams closing everything. At least we’re having fun.
At the start of the season, some found it worse than last year …
Well some, as you say, would do well to shut their mouths! Seriously, it blows me up. But leave him alone to this kid! I saw him try many times in Milan-San Remo, at the Critérium du Dauphiné, at the French Championships. Instead of saying that he didn’t win, you had to see that he was one of the few to always try. We need guys like him who are good on the bike. No wonder why he earns less than a year ago.
How far can he go with the yellow jersey?
Already, we must not say anything: he will not win the Tour. And as he knows, he doesn’t calculate but he has fun. Thursday, there is the arrival on Mount Aigoual. But when you have passed the Orcières-Merlette stage, you can also hold on to the finish at Mont Aigoual. It will hold out until the Pyrenees. And even after. With him, you have to be ready to be surprised.
Would you have liked to run with him?
( Big smile ). Ah yes! I think I would have taken this kid on my team. A guy with a temper, you always manage to do something with him. Yes, I think I would have had a good time running with Alaphilippe. We would have fucked up a lot. What counts is the personality and he has it.
Do you understand that he shows his feelings by dedicating, just after the line, his victory in Nice?
But that’s what makes it beautiful. He is sensitive and he does not cheat with anyone. Neither on his bike, nor after. He is not a cheater and people see him.
Should Thibaut Pinot be inspired by Julian Alaphilippe?
It’s different because Pinot is aiming for victory. I don’t mind people saying I’m overwhelmed but at some point he will have to attack and bet everything. He is the third thief between the Jumbo-Visma and the Ineos-Grenadier. It’s difficult, but it’s his chance. At one point, if he leaves, the others will look at each other and say to themselves: “It’s your turn to go. “No, it’s yours.” And then it can work for him. I’ll tell you, guys who spent their Tour waiting for the right moment, I’ve known plenty while I was a runner. And you know what? They never won …
