Looking like the Julian Alaphilippe of old, Soudal - Quick-Step's former world champion was vibrant and attacking on stage 6 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia, just missing out on the win from the breakaway to Movistar Team's Pelayo Sanchez at the line.
“I think I'm getting closer (to his best ed.). Because I am happy with how I raced today. It was a very tough ride, it was full throttle from the start," the Frenchman reflects in his post-stage interview. "My team did a good job in the first sixty kilometres to control it until the climb. It was nice to be in the leading group and to be riding at full throttle. We just kept riding at full speed. My congratulations to the winner, the Movistar rider.”
With the breakaway taking nearly 100km to form, Alaphilippe was responsible for multiple attacks early on as he seemed determined to get up the road. “In the beginning I tried it a few times, but I quickly understood that a lot of riders wanted to join in. So it was better to check it together with other teams. It was 'easier' to jump there," he recalls. "It was still tough, but it was really about the legs. That's why I'm happy with my race, because I did everything I could. I don't regret anything. I would have preferred to win, but I did my best.”
Despite missing out on the win by a bike length, the positives are there for all to see with Alaphilippe's performance on the Tuscan gravel and as such, the Frenchman will enter the remainder of the race with renewed vigour. "Certainly. I take the positive with me," he concludes. "Of course I would have liked to win, but the Giro is still long.”
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