“I’m happy I stopped” - Julian Alaphilippe explains why he retired at 34 with a year left at Tudor
Cycling
Julian Alaphilippe had another season left on his contract with Tudor Pro Cycling Team when he retired at 34. At a French Cycling Federation tribute in Paris on Thursday, the two-time world champion spoke publicly for the first time since August about why he was happy to walk away.
“I always wanted to stop at the right time and avoid going on a year too long,” Alaphilippe said at the event, as reported by L’Equipe. “I was getting less and less enjoyment out of modern cycling. I still felt useful to my team, but I felt it was time to turn the page.”
In August, Alaphilippe told Tudor he had woken up one morning at a training camp with the feeling that 2026 would be his final season. He announced his retirement on 21 August, less than a month after completing his eighth Tour de France.
From a solo win in Quebec to a final Tour de France
Alaphilippe joined Tudor in 2025 after more than a decade with Quick-Step. His three-year deal was due to run through 2027. In his first season with the Swiss team, he finished fifth overall at the Tour de Suisse and third on the Tour de France stage into Carcassonne. In September 2025, he attacked with 1.4 km to go to win the GP de Quebec, his last professional victory.
He went winless in 2026. Illness interrupted his spring campaign, and he abandoned Amstel Gold Race and La Fleche Wallonne before missing Liege-Bastogne-Liege on medical grounds. Fifth at GP Gippingen in June was his only top 10 of the season.
Alaphilippe admitted he was getting "less enjoyment" out of cycling
At the Tour, Alaphilippe made the four-man break on stage 11 but was the first rider dropped. He finished 125th overall, seven years after winning two stages and spending 14 days in yellow on his way to fifth. He ended his racing career on the Champs-Elysees on 26 July.
“Cycling was my outlet, but I’m happy I stopped,” he said. “I’m very grateful. I was lucky enough to spend about 15 years racing my bike.” He recalled the emotions those years had brought him, his family and the people watching. “I pushed myself hard to achieve the goals I’d set myself.”
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Alaphilippe pays tribute to Voeckler and his cousin Franck
France coach Thomas Voeckler, who guided Alaphilippe to his world titles in Imola and Leuven, joined him on stage alongside Franck Alaphilippe, his cousin and former coach. Alaphilippe recalled what he and Voeckler had in common as riders, including “that crazy streak we both had”. He said Voeckler had become a friend who was there for him in difficult moments away from cycling.
“Franck doesn’t like the spotlight,” he said. “He hasn’t often had much recognition, but I owe a lot of what I achieved to him too. Franck, you’ve meant so much to me, both in my career and in my life.”
“When I see these images, I’m even happier with my decision,” Alaphilippe said after watching a montage of his victories. He thanked the federation for the tribute and said he wanted some time away from the spotlight.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- I see (elsewhere) that Alaphilippe had more to say than what got relayed in this stub. Me: he was very good early but his latter third trajectory was the pits. His old boss did what he could (huffed and puffed) but Julian couldn't get his greatness back. Sometimes I wonder if crashes that didn't look like much changed the course of the rider.flyer14-11-2026
- I wouldn't classify it as a gift because the nasty consequences of taking it from Sepp would have been great and would persist and he knew it.flyer14-11-2026
- Ok. Tratnik's good and Red Bull's better so Tratnik may get what he wants.flyer14-11-2026
- Ok. So just saying he wasn't enjoying racing anymore is some kind of explanation? Me saying I don't enjoy his explanation is more explaining than he did.flyer14-11-2026
- Buitrago, was he their best rider in 2026? He's the chief loss for them and Martinez and Tiberi (especially) have to step up or they will be overtaken by Bahrain's younger riders like Omrzel. I'm still somewhat high on Martinez but Tiberi, after showing signs of promise, has fizzled. Bahrain still has a good team but they need to improve and exceed expectations. I'd be happy if Mohoric could manage to return to his better form for maybe one last year at least.flyer14-11-2026
- Hmmm, "... I just gained 30 seconds purely off the bike. Because it's really a big, big improvement compared to the previous bike". Is that marketing for Specialized or serious valid hype, or something in between? Very likely the former.flyer14-11-2026
- Nothing revelatory or controversial. Why do we have to report on Bruyneel's or Armstrong's thinking. It's a shame and enough that the Move's on TV and that people watch it .flyer14-11-2026
- Makes sense that training from home is a big asset or advantage but it's still remarkable that he can put in three quality majors and not pay some heavy price for the exertion. I wish he would have won that tour stage that his crash while leading allowed Carapaz the win. He's a darn good rider and teammate.flyer14-11-2026
- Sounds like we all agree with the over under exaggeration: "The German’s signing does not guarantee that Evenepoel will win the Tour in 2027. "flyer14-11-2026
- Seixas appears to be that good but if he isn't (an absolute rival to Pogacar) he would have plenty of company in rising stars that did not go on to fully meet the expectations of many. That Pogacar wasn't the greatest (as great) sooner can't be transposed onto another's development. It may be not that simple.flyer14-11-2026
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