In an interview with West France, Julian Alaphilippe's trainer and cousin gives an update on his program, but also on his ambitions. We learn that he will be present at the start of the French championships, and that he intends to play the leading roles. We also learn that its preparation, more progressive this season, should take him to his maximum for the Tour de France, after a smooth recovery on the Strade Bianche and Milan San Remo, then the Critérium du Dauphiné. The Ardennes will also be a major objective for the leader of the Deceuninck Quick Step, him who revolves around the victory in Liège for several years.
He also returned to his ambitions for the Tour de France : “I think he sets himself the ambition to go play the victory in one or two stages, and he is right to say that. Despite what happened last year, he doesn't want to play the general. For the moment, like him, so I stick to that, it is his wish, and it’s already very good if he succeeds. He could also why not aim for the Polka Dot Jersey, depending on the course of the race”. The yellow jersey, not a short term goal so, but it may become so in the coming years : “He would never have imagined himself playing the general of the Tour de France until three days before the finish, and he must have noticed something ... After, he also knows that he may never do another Tour de France like last year. But this Tour made Julian think about his possibilities, still. […] He does not say it, but yes, it could happen, of course. Within a year or three, he may decide…” To be continued, but it may well be that this Tour 2019 had germinated an idea in the mind of the french, now almost as much a climber as a puncher…
