"He didn't really put in much work" – Rival claims Julian Alaphilippe 'reaped the rewards of hiding' in thrilling GP de Québec victory

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 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.”

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.