"I launched the sprint too early" - Julian Alaphilippe knows well where he made a mistake

Tudor Pro Cycling's season was aimed towards the first week of Tour de France. With some of the best puncheurs in the world recruited ahead of this season, the Swiss team hope to leave their mark during a debut Tour. And with in-form Julian Alaphilippe among their ranks, it no longer sounds like a daring goal.

In Boulogne-sur-Mer, we have seen the 32-year-old at the front of the race in key moments, and ultimately finished inside the top-5. "I launched the sprint too early, so I couldn't do better than fifth place," Alaphilippe explains in a press communication. "But honestly, after the hard day I had yesterday, I'm not disappointed.

The Frenchman tried to use knowledge of the terrain as an ace up his sleeve, but there were simply stronger men today. "I tried to go with 500m cause I knew there was a flatter part but when I saw Mathieu in my wheel, I stopped the effort, went back to the wheel before the final sprint. I am happy to feel better, it gives confidence for the upcoming days."

Marc Hirschi finished in the same group, crossing the line in 14th place: "I had good legs but the final sprint was a bit too hard," he admits. "I am happy to have the legs to be with the first group with all top favorites. I hope it gets better day by day and I can find an opportunity in the second or last week of the race."