Teams & Riders Julian Alaphilippe Discussion Thread

[memyselfandI]

He's just sandbagging now for the Liege, trying to build some slack, just so tight margins now at the top.

 

[SafeBet]

Let's wait until the Mur to call curtains on his spring, but today was a bit underwhelming. Not the 6th place as much as not featuring at all on the hills that should suit him to a tee.

The thing is he was kind of ok up until the top of Cauberg and then he completely exploded, to the point of not being able to follow wheels on flat terrain. Riders were passing him like it was me on the course, not the World Champion.

His sprint was actually surprisingly good all things considered.

 

[Red Rick]

The thing is he was kind of ok up until the top of Cauberg and then he completely exploded, to the point of not being able to follow wheels on flat terrain. Riders were passing him like it was me on the course, not the World Champion.

His sprint was actually surprisingly good all things considered.

Yeah seems no better than Vlaanderen tbh.

Also in 2019 he and Fuglsang were flying in AGR, then he could barely beat Fugl on the Mur and exploded on the RaF in Liege

 

[SafeBet]

Yeah seems no better than Vlaanderen tbh.

Also in 2019 he and Fuglsang were flying in AGR, then he could barely beat Fugl on the Mur and exploded on the RaF in Liege

So he'll be dropped before the official start in LBL?

 

[Red Rick]

So he'll be dropped before the official start in LBL?

No but I'm not exactly fancying him for even Fleche right now. His punch seems to carry for all of 15 seconds.

 

[Panda Claws]

15 seconds is plenty of time to grab 50 - 100 meters on the flat before the Mur and then the others will have to close all those meters uphill.

 

[Kazistuta]

15 seconds is plenty of time to grab 50 - 100 meters on the flat before the Mur and then the others will have to close all those meters uphill.

That's irony, right?

 

[Hugo Koblet]

I think he looked excellent until midway through Tirreno.
His performance on Ventoux was his best climbing performance in long time.
Great effort in Omloop.
Only beaten by a monster version of VDP in Strade.
Even at Tirreno he won the uphill sprint against VDP and Van Aert in Chiusdino.

But then something changed: subpar performance on Prati di Tivo + complete no show in the hilly rainy stage.
And lacking that extra bit in every classic he has raced after.

Honestly if you asked me in early March I would have told you he was ready for his best spring ever. Don't really know what happened.

Completely agree. He looked amazing in February and March, and then suddenly lost form. I wonder what happened? I don't really have high hopes for FW and LBL now, but hopefully he'll be at his best in the Tour and then again at Olympics, Worlds and perhaps the Italian autumn classics if they are om hos schedule?

 

[IndianCyclist]

i think he changed his preparation looking at the 2 vans in the cyclocross races and now all of them are running on fumes.

 

[Salvarani]

Great win!

 

[memyselfandI]

Sandbaggin'

 

[wheresmybrakes]

Nice win, can now put him back on the list of 47.

 

[JosefK]

Well, he's back. There will be swashbuckling.

 

[jmdirt]

WOOHOO JA! I like seeing the rainbow kit on top of the box!

EDIT: or should I say nice win Capt. Sparrow!?

 

[johnymax]

Is he really back or is FW just so perfect for him, he could win it in his sleep? I guess LBL will give us the answer.

 

[jmdirt]

Is he really back or is FW just so perfect for him, he could win it in his sleep? I guess LBL will give us the answer.

It doesn't matter how perfect a race is if you don't have the legs. So his form has obviously come around.

 

[Red Rick]

Think he'll fly in the Ardennes.

Let's wait until the Mur to call curtains on his spring, but today was a bit underwhelming. Not the 6th place as much as not featuring at all on the hills that should suit him to a tee.

Guys I have solved making cycling predictions

 

[Red Rick]

Is he really back or is FW just so perfect for him, he could win it in his sleep? I guess LBL will give us the answer.

Somewhere in the middle. It's way easier for him to win FW than Liege or Amstel. He was the big favorite in 2018 too and couldn't make the difference really. Got destroyed on the RAF a few times as well.

 

[Fernandez]

Will he equal or surpase Valverdes record?

 

[Vroome.exe]

I believe his form is still nowhere near good enough to win Liege. It's quite clear he is very tired right now, but FW is raced quite slowly, so he still has that punch to win here. If Ala couldn't be competitive in Amstel, he won't be in Liege.

 

[ppanther92]

I believe his form is still nowhere near good enough to win Liege. It's quite clear he is very tired right now, but FW is raced quite slowly, so he still has that punch to win here. If Ala couldn't be competitive in Amstel, he won't be in Liege.

Still he did the fastest Mur de Huy ascent ever. So the form can't be that bad, tbh. But still think he won't win LBL, since the whole peloton is flying currently.

 

[Panda Claws]

Wonder if 2011 Gilbert could have done a 2:40 time. He did 2:44 but he was also celebrating a lot. Part of that wonder year must have been weakness of the field.

 

[Red Rick]

Wonder if 2011 Gilbert could have done a 2:40 time. He did 2:44 but he was also celebrating a lot. Part of that wonder year must have been weakness of the field.

Was it that weak though? Rodriguez was the top murito rider of that period.

If anything I think we look too much at names and not at the times set by other riders in the same year, etc. When Valverde did 2:41, you had guys like Mollema and TJ Slagter dropping a 2:45, so it could easily be all down to the pacing/circumstances/ first half of the climb where you don't really notice much about the climbing speed. @johnymax said they did the first ~600m about 8s slower than 2014 this year. The final few 100m were absolutely immense.

 

[JosefK]

Guys I have solved making cycling predictions

I no longer make predictions because of fear of legal action by my predicted winner (i.e., assured loser).

 

[Rackham]

Now onto the Tour & let's see where this goes, i.e. the route itself seems to have been (no surprise here) designed with Alaphilippe's puncheur qualities in mind.

Just look at stage 1 & 2, i.e. both have an uphill sprint finish:

So I wouldn't be surprised to see Alaphilippe in yellow on day 1 or 2, followed by a time trial (stage 5) in which he could also surprise (like in 2019).

IMO he's the potential third man in the battle for yellow behind Pogacar & Roglic.