It had been seven months since he last lifted his arms in a bicycle race. On Saturday February 25, Julian Alaphilippe returned to victory by winning at Guilherand-Granges, at the end of the 168.5 kilometers of the Ardèche Classic. The rider from the Belgian formation Soudal – Quick-Step sprinted ahead of his breakaway companion David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ).
???? Victory for Julian Alaphilippe! In front of David Gaudu, the double world champion wins on the Ardèche Clas… https://t.co/oOQ7TpzbBw
The 2020 and 2021 double world champion had not won since July 27, 2022 and the inaugural stage of the Tour de Wallonie. His last season had been polluted by falls and injuries. He had only had one other success: during the second stage of the Tour of the Basque Country, in April.
This victory on the rugged Ardèche track comes in a context of tension with the manager of his team, the Belgian Patrick Lefevere, unhappy with the recent performances of his rider.
“All the work of the last few weeks”
“It’s been a long time, when I think back to my last victory. A lot has happened since. This especially validates all the work of the last few weeks. I knew my condition was getting better and better and today I’m really happy because the team delivered a great job. Then, we collaborated well with David Gaudu”reacted the thirties in the arrival area.
The two men escaped 23 kilometers from the finish when tackling the climb to Saint-Romain-de-Lerps, 6 kilometers long with a 10% drop. They could not decide between themselves in the last difficulty of the day, the Val d’Enfer, until Alaphilippe settled his breakaway companion in the sprint.
“I really wanted to get over that last bump and bet everything on the sprint. Because I saw that in this long climb, when I attacked, he responded immediately. I knew it would still be a long time until the finish. I bet on my little burst of speed and it did it”welcomed the puncher.
Grateful ” a relief “he also insisted on the « sacrifices » granted for « perfect [s]provided for all the races that come ». Julian Alaphilippe will start for Strade Bianche on March 4 and Tirreno-Adriatico from March 6 to 12.
For his part, David Gaudu, fourth in the last Tour de France, admitted that he had “lack of a little explosiveness against Julian”. But he didn’t “nothing to regret” : “There is a bit of disappointment but I am satisfied to see that the form is there as Paris-Nice presents itself. “The race for the sun which will take place from March 5 to 12.
