Teams & Riders Julian Alaphilippe Discussion Thread

[Skalman]

He's an opportunistic. He's been lucky it's worked out as many times as it has for him. However, that type of rider can be highly inconsistent. Has he already peaked? It's possible. There's also his mentality as he has said he wants to race different races because they are different even though he hasn't won races that should suit him like LBL. To me this doesn't translate into a long career due to his mentality. Part of Valverde's longevity in the sport is a combination of his mentality (happiness to virtually race the same calendar year after year) and his consistency throughout his entire career from start to finish of the season. Alaphilippe can be a very entertaining rider, but that has it's drawbacks in having hot and cold streaks which can wear at a person mentally. Valverde may not be the most entertaining rider, but he's always near the front and has earned him a victory total that in the specialized age has only gone to sprinters. Alaphilippe seems to think he can win a GT GC title, while he really hasn't proven he can win even 1 week GC titles. So I agree he does seem to have expectations that are higher for himself than they likely should be. As for changing the type of rider he is, I don't expect Alaphilippe to do that. I don't think he would be happy doing that. I do think he has a few more years left, but I expect him to retire in his mid 30's.

I agree with everything except i don't think he honestly think he can win a GT, he surely dreams of it but i don't think he really believe he can do it, if he has said something to that effect i just think he has done that in the meaning to do the best he can in the GT GC (Tdf) to please the fans. Also if he has been lucky with a couple Victories he has surely been unlucky and missed out by hair more than a few times, he is almost always up there fighting for it though.

 

[Koronin]

I agree with everything except i don't think he honestly think he can win a GT, he surely dreams of it but i don't think he really believe he can do it, if he has said something to that effect i just think he has done that in the meaning to do the best he can in the GT GC (Tdf) to please the fans. Also if he has been lucky with a couple Victories he has surely been unlucky and missed out by hair more than a few times, he is almost always up there fighting for it though.

You may be right that he's saying that to please fans, but after his 2019 Tour I'm not sure. I wouldn't say unlucky by missing out because of his opportunistic style. That's no different than saying Valverde would have more wins if he would have raced more aggressive at times. You will always be unlucky in that sense due to your particular racing style.

 

[SafeBet]

I don't think he's been lucky at all during his career. He's a superb bike rider and most of his big wins came from being the very best in that specific race. And this narrative of Alaphilippe being on the decline is pretty silly. He's the reigning world champion. He dominated that race dropping Roglic, Van Aert, Fuglsang, etc exactly where everybody expected him to attack.

I'd like to be on the decline as he is.

 

[Bolder]

Alaf isn't declining but my main criticism of him has been that he should pick his spots better.

Suisse was a great example where he forced the selection (good), but then needlessly went off the front for a few minutes (bad), and had nothing left for the last few ks. Would he have beaten MvDP? Probably not but he could have contested the sprint, maybe grabbed some bonus seconds. His spring might have been better had he not gone so deep in T-A although you could say that about even MdDP.

But so long as he continues to attack and animate races, I'm happy. I think he's got plenty of big wins left. I like seeing him at the Tour, too, even if GC is probably always going to be a pipe dream bc he just can't climb with the best over 3 weeks.

 

[Bolder]

You may be right that he's saying that to please fans, but after his 2019 Tour I'm not sure. I wouldn't say unlucky by missing out because of his opportunistic style. That's no different than saying Valverde would have more wins if he would have raced more aggressive at times. You will always be unlucky in that sense due to your particular racing style.

I agree. He's going to do what he does even if I think he should do a bit less of it! I wouldn't call him unlucky, either -- a lot of his "bad luck" is self inflicted...

 

[BlueRoads]

Of course he's not on the decline, that's ridiculous. However I agree that it's harder for him to win now than in 2019, but that's not because of a decline. 2019 might well be an outlier in his career in terms of results, but this sunset talk doesn't make any sense. I think he just had one of his best climbing performances in the beginning of the year, and in Liège he was closely beaten by Pogacar - it's not like he was unbeatable in Liège in other years and now he can't keep up anymore. And so on...
Does van Aert now have to worry about a decline, too? With Asgreen in cobbled races, van der Poel in sprints, even Jasper Stuyven beating him in MSR, and in Strade where he won in the past he wasn't even on the podium this year.

 

[Rackham]

Alaphilippe will reportedly withdraw from the Tour de Suisse this evening after the TT (& thus miss the final stage) in order to attend the birth of his first child on Monday: Julian Alaphilippe quittera la course après le contre-la-montre - L'Équipe (lequipe.fr)

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Alaphilippe will reportedly withdraw from the Tour de Suisse this evening after the TT (& thus miss the final stage) in order to attend the birth of his first child on Monday: Julian Alaphilippe quittera la course après le contre-la-montre - L'Équipe (lequipe.fr)

That's really disappointing and unprofessional in my opinion.

 

[BlueRoads]

That's really disappointing and unprofessional in my opinion.

Are you joking?

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Are you joking?

Uhm, no, why would I be? He could just go home after the race Sunday and still be there in time for the birth.

 

[BlueRoads]

Uhm, no, why would I be? He could just go home after the race Sunday and still be there in time for the birth.

You mean to be one of those birth tourist fathers, who show up for the birth, take the baby in the arm, make a photo, and let people celebrate that they became a father?
Sorry... maybe he will even continue to race.
But I always like to see men take a bit more time for these things, because actually a child birth is not something by the way for a woman and a bit of support is nice beforehand, and also it's not bad if men realize being a father is not just about the photo moments - for everyone involved.
Sorry, you hit some spot there in me.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

You mean to be one of those birth tourist fathers, who show up for the birth, take the baby in the arm, make a photo, and let people celebrate that they became a father?
Sorry... maybe he will even continue to race.
But I always like to see men take a bit more time for these things, because actually a child birth is not something by the way for a woman and a bit of support is nice beforehand, and also it's not bad if men realize being a father is not just about the photo moments - for everyone involved.
Sorry, you hit some spot there in me.

Do I mean to be "one of those birth tourist fathers..." or Alaphilippe? Of course I like men taking part in this as well, but then just don't sign up for the race. Especially when you're fighting for a podium spot - or even the win - and there's only one stage to go.

 

[BlueRoads]

Do I mean to be "one of those birth tourist fathers..." or Alaphilippe? Of course I like men taking part in this as well, but then just don't sign up for the race. Especially when you're fighting for a podium spot - or even the win - and there's only one stage to go.

It was a general remark, I have a problem with people doing that due to personal experiences.

 

[RedheadDane]

He can ride TdS - or indeed any race - every year. He can't become a father every year.
Or... he could, technically, but I wouldn't recommend it. Mostly for the sake of Marion Rousse...

 

[Rackham]

It does seem totally "out there" to quit a race before the final day when you're third in GC. Maybe he'll reconsider, because even though he's technically preparing for the Tour (Carapaz is also), there are no guarantees the Tour will go in his favor. So you have to grab that result when you can.

 

[IndianCyclist]

Maybe Julian Alaphilippe will name his child Junior Alaphilippe .

 

[Skalman]

It does seem totally "out there" to quit a race before the final day when you're third in GC. Maybe he'll reconsider, because even though he's technically preparing for the Tour (Carapaz is also), there are no guarantees the Tour will go in his favor. So you have to grab that result when you can.

Depends on what you mean with "in his favor" , if it means come as prepared as he can be during the circumstances and do his best, I'm sure he will, If it means compete for top 10 in the GC then he will probably not. something I'm sure he is willing to sacrifice for being part of his first Childs birth.

 

[Bolder]

I left work for the births of my children, too. So Julien and I have something in common!

 

[Red Rick]

Alaphilippe is a nervous wreck while racing, imagine him watching his SO give birth.

 

[Rackham]

Depends on what you mean with "in his favor" , if it means come as prepared as he can be during the circumstances and do his best, I'm sure he will, If it means compete for top 10 in the GC then he will probably not. something I'm sure he is willing to sacrifice for being part of his first Childs birth.

The Tour was designed for Julian Alaphilippe this year, 100%. Last year was for Pinot (that didn't go so well), but this year is absolutely tailored for Alaphilippe, i.e. with punch stages day 1 & 2, a TT which should suit him on stage 5, followed by an Ardennes style stage on 7 & mountain stages with lots of descent finishes which (surprise surprise) suit Alaphilippe who is in fact an excellent descender... although losing the supertuck (which he excelled at) was probably not expected when they designed the route.

Prudhomme barely concealed his intent when he recently said Alaphilippe is the one French rider who can win the Tour. So yeah, there's an expectation he'll do well in the GC, certainly in France at least.

But wait & see, because this year in particular the competition is at an insane level. So IMO losing a podium spot (or better...) in a WT GC stage race like the Tour de Suisse shouldn't be a light decision. He'll be a father for the rest of his life, but a career is really short. Maybe it's just me (i.e. I place way more value on good parenting once the child is born, not the "symbolism" of attending the childbirth per se), but he has made a mistake in quitting before the final stage.

 

[BlueRoads]

The Tour was designed for Julian Alaphilippe this year, 100%. Last year was for Pinot (that didn't go so well), but this year is absolutely tailored for Alaphilippe, i.e. with punch stages day 1 & 2, a TT which should suit him on stage 5, followed by an Ardennes style stage on 7 & mountain stages with lots of descent finishes which (surprise surprise) suit Alaphilippe who is in fact an excellent descender... although losing the supertuck (which he excelled at) was probably not expected when they designed the route.

Prudhomme barely concealed his intent when he recently said Alaphilippe is the one French rider who can win the Tour. So yeah, there's an expectation he'll do well in the GC, certainly in France at least.

But wait & see, because this year in particular the competition is at an insane level. So IMO losing a podium spot (or better...) in a WT GC stage race like the Tour de Suisse shouldn't be a light decision. He'll be a father for the rest of his life, but a career is really short. Maybe it's just me (i.e. I place way more value on good parenting once the child is born, not the "symbolism" of attending the childbirth per se), but he has made a mistake in quitting before the final stage.

As you can see I have become a heavy fan of him, but not in 100 years is he going to win the Tour, no matter how they design it. For him it would be way better, in my opinion, to put some serious mountain stage, where he inevitably loses time, at the start and then he's free to stage hunt in the rest of the Tour.
It's ridiculous if organizers / press put such pressure to win the Tour on a rider who's not fit to do it. If they want a French Tour winner they need to "build" him. Do some very serious youth program, which is designed to bring out a GT prospect (not just a climber or puncheur), and you will have a serious shot in the next 10 years. Designing special routes is not the way.

 

[SHAD0W93]

As you can see I have become a heavy fan of him, but not in 100 years is he going to win the Tour, no matter how they design it. For him it would be way better, in my opinion, to put some serious mountain stage, where he inevitably loses time, at the start and then he's free to stage hunt in the rest of the Tour.
It's ridiculous if organizers / press put such pressure to win the Tour on a rider who's not fit to do it. If they want a French Tour winner they need to "build" him. Do some very serious youth program, which is designed to bring out a GT prospect (not just a climber or puncheur), and you will have a serious shot in the next 10 years. Designing special routes is not the way.

If I can lead the 2013 Tour by 38” with Hutarovich and win the 2016 Tour with Jungels then Alaphilippe can with the Tour right amount of luck. Heck Pereiro won one.

 

[RedheadDane]

If I can lead the 2013 Tour by 38” with Hutarovich and win the 2016 Tour with Jungels

You might to sit down for this... that never happened.

 

[SHAD0W93]

You might to sit down for this... that never happened.

It did! In the video games!! PS3 and Xbox One.
I was there! Crazy stuff happens in those games.

 

[Open Horizon]

If they want a French Tour winner they need to "build" him. Do some very serious youth program, which is designed to bring out a GT prospect (not just a climber or puncheur), and you will have a serious shot in the next 10 years. Designing special routes is not the way.

This.

The fact that failed footballers and crashed ski-jumpers are among cycling's hottest properties now, is a good indication how much talent is lost to cycling simply because youths don't even come into serious contact with the sport.

Most likely, the potentially / genetically most gifted cyclists out there...don't even ride a bike.

Now this idea probably holds true to most niche sports - in fact there's a sense in which most European male sports champions are failed footballers first, but cycling stands out in that it's super easy to measure cycling talent on a young age. Put all kids to the test (including kids of non-white ethnicities), and there's a good chance of scouting potential legendary cyclists that would otherwise have been lost for the sport.