Julian Alaphilippe, the double world road race champion, has announced his retirement from professional racing at the age of 34, bringing a close to an 13-year career defined by 45 victories, a dramatic stint in the Tour de France yellow jersey, and monuments such as Milan-Sanremo.
The End of an Era for French Cycling
The trio anchored a golden decade of fan adoration in French cycling. Known for his explosive puncheur style, tactical intelligence, and characteristic panache, the 1.73-meter, 62-kilogram former cyclo-cross rider forged a rich palmarès that made him one of the peloton’s most recognizable competitors.
Alaphilippe’s career peak arrived between 2018 and 2021. During those four seasons, racing for Patrick Lefevere’s Quick-Step squad, the Frenchman dominated the one-day classics. His major triumphs included the Clásica de San Sebastián in 2018, three editions of La Flèche Wallonne in 2018, 2019, and 2021, Strade Bianche in 2019, and his lone Monument victory at Milan-Sanremo in 2019. That same era yielded back-to-back world championship road race titles: first in Imola, Italy, in 2020, and then successfully defended in Louvain, Belgium, in 2021.
The Magic of 2019 and the Grand Tours
His most incandescent campaign came in 2019, highlighted by a legendary run at the Tour de France. Alaphilippe wore the yellow jersey for 14 days, captured two stage victories, and electrified French fans before finishing fifth overall on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. Across his career, he secured six stage wins in the Grande Boucle, wore the maillot jaune across 18 stages, and claimed the King of the Mountains classification in 2018. He also secured individual stage wins at the Vuelta a España in 2017 and the Giro d’Italia in 2024.
However, success was frequently interrupted by severe crashes. In 2022, high-speed incidents at Strade Bianche and a devastating fall at Liège-Bastogne-Liège—where he suffered a collapsed lung, two broken ribs, and a fractured shoulder blade—derailed his momentum. Subsequent seasons brought further injuries, a shoulder dislocation at the Vuelta later that year, and public friction over results with his team manager before he transitioned to Swiss ProTeam Tudor for a three-year contract in 2025, where he won the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec.
Final Tour and Transition to Family Life
Alaphilippe navigated a demanding final Tour de France in 2026, finishing a distant 125th overall while still drawing immense applause from roadside spectators across France.
Away from the bike, Alaphilippe has shared his life since 2020 with former professional cyclist and television consultant Marion Rousse, who also serves as director of the Tour de France Femmes. The couple has a son, Nino, born in 2021, on whom the retiring champion will now focus his time.
Worth a look
