Julian Alaphilippe has endured a very complicated 2022 season, however there is not much understanding within Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team as Patrick Lefevere talks of the need for the former World Champion to compensate for his lack of results.
“If all goes well, Alaphilippe will ride the Flemish races in the spring, including the Tour of Flanders. I remind you that if he doesn't crash in 2020, he can aim for the win," Lefevere said in an interview with La Dernière Heure. Whilst the Frenchman will aim for the Tour des Flandres and Ardennes classics, the pressure will be on to take a big win seeing as he did not manage to get one in 2022.
His campaign was however struck with crashes in races such as Strade Bianche and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, aswell as the Vuelta a Espana. All these saw him out of form for goals such as the World Championships, and missing out on the Tour de France. Furthemore he did not have good form at the Vuelta as he was returning from a Covid-19 infection.
He took wins at Itzulia Basque Country and Tour de Wallonie, but in the results sheet it was a low performance from the World Champion. “I want him to get back on track. He owes me a revenge”, Lefevere was continued, in what was quite a strong statement. "Alaphilippe has a champion salary, but he needs to confirm that he is still champion."
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"I don't care that he is no longer world champion, but he hasn't won much in recent years. Yes, he's had a lot of bad luck, but it's always the same people who are lucky and the same people who are unlucky," Lefevere concluded.
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