“I couldn't follow Carapaz and certainly not Vingegaard" - Julian Alaphilippe continues resurgence with another impressive performance at the Critérium du Dauphiné

Finishing second on the fifth stage of the 2023 Critérium du Dauphiné and moving up to third overall, Julian Alaphilippe continued his resurgence with another impressive performance.

"I was really hard on the limit,” said the mercurial Frenchman in his post-stage interview. “We rode with the team in the lead to see if anything was possible. They did a fantastic job, but in the end that last climb was just a bit too hard for me.”

When Richard Carapaz made the first big GC attack on the final climb, Alaphilippe initially was able to react alongside Jonas Vingegaard. But as the other two maintained a high pace, the Soudal - Quick-Step rider was unable to stay in touch. “I couldn't follow Carapaz and certainly not Vingegaard,” he admitted.

A second attack from Vingegaard dropped Carapaz and secure the stage win for the Dane. With Carapaz dropping back to the peloton, Alaphilippe won the reduced bunch sprint for second and moved to third overall. "I'll focus on today for a moment," he concludes. "We will take it day by day.”