“I got sick again... I called Thomas Voeckler to tell him: if things don't improve we should change the plan" - Julian Alaphilippe's hopes of Kigali success thrown into chaos

With the Men’s Elite Road Race at the 2025 UCI World Championships looming this Sunday, Julian Alaphilippe’s path to potential glory has taken yet another unpredictable twist. The two-time world champion had seemed to time his form to perfection after a daring solo victory at the GP de Québec earlier this month, but illness, jet lag, and a race against time have since clouded his bid for a third rainbow jersey.

“It’s a victory that really comes at the right time,” Alaphilippe reflected on that Québec win, speaking with Cycling News and other media on Thursday. “It confirms that the shape came back well, and that’s a good sign. And it was an important victory for me because it was my first year in my new team, and these are races that are difficult to win.”

But just as confidence was building, his plans were derailed once more. “I got sick again after Québec, which is why I dropped out of Montreal. The days that followed weren’t easy; I struggled to recover, especially with the jet lag,” the Frenchman said. “There were days when I couldn’t do anything.”

Faced with uncertainty, Alaphilippe made a call no rider wants to make in the week before a World Championship. “I called Thomas Voeckler to let him know and keep him informed of the situation. In the middle of last week, I told him: if things don’t improve in a day or two, we should consider changing the plan.”

Thankfully for Alaphilippe and the French team, things have picked up in the most recent days. “I took my time, and things got better. It was a bit tense until the weekend. I was happy to come here, and things are getting better and better. So, I’m very happy and motivated,” Alaphilippe told l’Équipe, defying expectations with his trademark resilience and fire.

“Julian Alaphilippe is the soul of this team,” Voeckler said during the same press conference. “His second half of the season is off to a great start, and physically he completely deserves his place — not just because of the last two weeks, but since this winter. I felt that it was perhaps the right time.”

France arrives in Rwanda with a team blending firepower and flair: Louis Barré, Julien Bernard, Jordan Jegat, Valentin Madouas, Valentin Paret-Peintre, Pavel Sivakov, and the 19-year-old rising star Paul Seixas complete the selection. With 5,400 metres of climbing spread across 267.5km of searing Rwandan heat and humidity, it’s a parcours designed to shred the bunch and favour the courageous. The neo-pro already dipped his toe into the elite waters during the time trial and mixed relay this week — but Sunday will be a different beast altogether.

“I’m happy to be here,” Seixas said, almost wide-eyed, as he takes in his first elite World Championships. “Let’s say the longest distance I’ve done this year. I think Thomas will soon explain our roles to us, and I’m happy to be part of the team. And then we’ll see how the distance goes. But in any case, it’s going to be very tough.”

For Voeckler, it’s not just about form or results. It’s about instinct, chemistry, and belief — the kind of intangible mix that has brought France success when few expected it. “There is a state of mind that has been established and that is present in the French team,” the coach explained. “There are a few veterans who are guarantees. The young people who are arriving have generally gone through the youth categories, so they know this spirit. But for it to happen naturally, there is no instruction manual.”

Alaphilippe is under no illusions. He knows he’s not the top favourite this year, with the likes of Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel commanding the bookmakers’ odds. But that’s never bothered him before. If anything, the underdog role — amplified by illness and a disrupted build-up — plays into his strengths.

He has pulled off the impossible before, and Kigali's attritional course could offer the perfect terrain for another audacious solo raid. If the form is there — and the French team rides with unity and purpose — few would rule out a late-career masterpiece from one of cycling’s most charismatic and unpredictable champions.