"In the 2019 Tour he wore the yellow jersey for 15 days... He could have won it" - Patrick Lefevere recalls favourite Julian Alaphilippe memory at Soudal - Quick-Step
Cycling
After spending his entire professional career in the colours of Soudal - Quick-Step and their various different names over the years, Julian Alaphilippe will move on to pastures new in 2025.
Whilst the French star and Soudal - Quick-Step's at times controversial team boss Patrick Lefevere haven't always seen eye to eye, Lefevere has recently been speaking fondly of the two time world champion. Despite the fact Alaphilippe has built up a palmares of 44 wins during his time at Soudal - Quick-Step however, Lefevere's favourite memory of the now 32-year-old's career, is a near miss.
"It was the 2019 Tour, in which he wore the yellow jersey for 15 days," Lefevere recalls in conversation with Sporza. with the Belgian even certain that Alaphilippe could and maybe should have won the Tour de France had it not been for the weather conditions and a curious call by the race jury. "The 19th stage was neutralised, the jury took the times at the top of the mountain (handing the Maillot Jaune to Egan Bernal ed.). If everything goes well, he might win that Tour. But that's "if, if"..."
"It's a bit painful after more than 10 years. We discovered him and he joined us in 2014. He rode his entire career with us and that of course had its ups and downs. But I'm an optimist and remember the good moments," Lefevere continues. "He was always very concerned about the team. I understand that he is now leaving at the age of 32 and choosing the money."
Whilst, as of the time of writing at least, no official confirmation of where Alaphilippe will ride in 2025, it has been heavily rumoured that the Frenchman will be sporting the colours of the Tudor Pro Cycling Team next year as one of a number of star signings for the Swiss team ran by the Fabian Cancellara.
Lefevere is a total jackass. I watched almost every televised minute of that race, and while Alaphilippe was on fire, there was never any chance he would win. He is not a climber on par with the true GC guys, and was simply not going to stay with them in the big mountains. Why PL is so mean-spirited toward Alaphillipe is beyond me. He was Quickstep's most dynamic and successful rider for many years prior to Remco, and even now could bring great visibility -- maybe even some wins - in races Remco will not take part in. Lefevere is both unkind and unwise to treat him so shabbily.
He was not going to win that tour. Pat Lef wants to reinvent history. Also he is not just choosing money, he is choosing to get away from the abuse as well.
Just in
Play for FREE! Fantasy Paris-Roubaix
Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter today!
Popular news
Latest comments
- Coz it’s not an Olympic year ;-)Mistermaumau15-04-2025
- Rock/hard place, still need the points.Mistermaumau15-04-2025
- These days you get paid a lot better to suck it up so I guess there are fewer complaints now ;-) Anyway, the faster bike argument these days is about as significant the whiter washing powders, only instruments can “feel” the difference unless a manufacturer makes a major cock-up. There is always one exception though, a rider that’s more “comfortable” on a slightly slower bike will probably be faster than on a faster uncomfortable one in all but the shortest time trials, the mental fatigue of discomfort is often ignored, in fact many mental tweaks have probably not been integrated yet, the most interesting topic of the future will be what will be considered mental doping and what will be considered acceptable, anyone?Mistermaumau15-04-2025
- 2011 won by wheel sucker Cadel Evans and 2015 Chris Frome with Team Sky.
James2631815-04-2025 - Hopefully the women won’t be requesting equal prize money as for the men’s race. Even an average week long men’s race is harder than this travesty.
UltimateOpportunist15-04-2025 - So is Pogacar, whose rivals are van der Poel in the monuments and Vingegaard at the Tour, doing the same with his limited calendar of race days?RidesHills15-04-2025
- An interesting description, but I think it misses his motivations. He meets a goal and moves on. Van der Poel does race the Tour, though lately as lead out for Philipsen, after achieving the goal of wearing yellow one day. Same with the Giro, he met his goal and moved on. But yes, lately that sure looks like winning the monuments more than anything else.RidesHills15-04-2025
- Totally agree, if only for the reason that it sends the totally wrong message not to treat it that way, let’s get drunk then we can do stupid things without much punishment, and the drunker the safer. In fact, if alcohol is accepted as a reason for turning to bad behaviour, perhaps representatives of the industry should systematically also be punished financially when there are convictions.Mistermaumau15-04-2025
- I mean the year before cables were external aspect should help narrow down the options as that can only be 1 year if you look at every bike it's the year cables disappeared.HoopoeChai15-04-2025
- If other riders just give up when VDP and Pog turn up to race why bother at all. Sad to hear this attitude and there is the problem riders saying we have lost before the start . We have seen loads of time both riders can be beaten. Less neg and more positive.paultryan200215-04-2025