"He didn't really put in much work" – Rival claims Julian Alaphilippe 'reaped the rewards of hiding' in thrilling GP de Québec victory
Cycling
Julian Alaphilippe may have claimed his first win of the season at the 2025 GP de Québec, but not everyone in the select front group was impressed by the Frenchman’s route to victory.
Tudor Pro Cycling Team’s marquee rider bided his time in an increasingly tactical race before launching a trademark punch on the final climb — and while the move itself was vintage Alaphilippe, some of his rivals were left reflecting on how little they saw of him before the decisive moment.
“He didn’t really put in much work and hid well,” Quinten Hermans of Alpecin–Deceuninck told WielerFlits in his post-race interview afterwards. “He has every right to do that. He’s a strong rider, but he reaped the rewards of hiding.”
Hermans warns: "Don't wait for the final lap against Pogacar"
Hermans was part of the race-defining front group that formed with around 70 kilometres to go, featuring a mix of opportunists and heavy hitters including Pavel Sivakov, Alberto Bettiol, Mattias Skjelmose, and Alaphilippe himself. UAE’s early aggression — and their subsequent decision not to commit to a full chase for Tadej Pogacar — allowed the move to stick, despite the best efforts of Team Visma | Lease a Bike and Team Jayco AlUla behind.
As the laps ticked down and fatigue crept in, Hermans sensed the danger of leaving it too late. “It was worth anticipating today,” he explained. “Before the start, I told the rest of the team not to wait until the final lap, because then we'd be led to the slaughter by Tadej Pogacar.”
Hermans led the Alpecin-Deceuninck team to a 6th placed finish in Quebec
“The three strongest broke away” — but Alaphilippe timed it best
That anticipation paid off — at least partially — as Hermans managed to stay ahead of the peloton and sprinted to a respectable sixth place. But it was clear that when the final selection went, he didn’t quite have the legs to go with the very best. “On the final lap, everyone started to leave a gap,” Hermans recounted. “Ultimately, the three strongest riders broke away.”
It was a reminder of the two-time World Champion’s tactical acumen as much as his trademark explosiveness. While Sivakov and Bettiol chased valiantly, and Hermans hung on for a top-10, it was Alaphilippe who timed everything to perfection — even if he didn’t take many turns to get there.
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Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And we, what are we doing?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And yet, it attracts people, even you. What’s more, it attracts the rival fanboys to fill cyberspace with endless pointless my hero is better than your hero blabla that’s all been heard before and only helps sell the site as an advertising platform. You know what the solution is but most can’t resist. No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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