Relaxed just after a four hour outing to recognize the route of the first stage, Julian Alpahilippe presented himself alongside his teammates Kasper Asgreen and Mark Cavendish for the traditional pre-Tour press conference. He spread his ambitions two days away from taking the start of his fifth Grande Boucle.
The start of the Tour
“I approach it with a lot of desire and motivation. I am very happy to be at the start. It’s always a special time of the season. We have just recognized the first stage, it’s a beautiful final, more difficult than I imagined. It was important to recognize that. This past week has been a steamroller. I am motivated with the desire to do well. To take advantage of the team we have to get results. There will also be the return of the road public, with the world champion’s jersey, it will be a special moment. “
The course
“It’s a fairly open course, with few finishes at the top. For the moment, I want to take stock after the first week. We will also see with the first two steps which correspond to me rather well. And the first The first time is not necessarily great for me (between Changé and Laval) but I would be keen to give the maximum. I did two good lap times on the Tour de Suisse so we’ll see. I haven’t done a lot of recce this year, I haven’t watched the whole course either… I’m more focused on the first week. You have to take it day by day. I repeat: we are not at the start with a team articulated with the goal of the podium or the final victory. We just have the ambition to gain stages. We’ll see where I am at the end of the first week. We must be clear-headed and aware that the 2019 scenario with 14 days in yellow will be difficult to reproduce. “
The favorites for the final victory?
“I just hope it would be a good race, a good fight but not only between Roglic and Pogacar but between the favorites. The first few days are really interesting. I’m motivated, I just want to give my best and take the yellow jersey. The Tour is long, it’s hard to name a favorite. “
