PRESS CONFERENCE: "I still have this fire..." - Julian Alaphilippe heads into eighth Tour de France with stage-winning ambitions
CyclingWednesday, 01 July 2026 at 11:19
The month of July has begun, and with it, the Tour de France comes alive. In Barcelona, the teams are quickly gathering their staff and riders. Tudor Pro Cycling Team has held its media session, and amongst the riders eager for the race who have made the selection is the ambitious Julian Alaphilippe.
The veteran is a seven-time finisher of the Tour and a six-time stage winner. Even then, the results sheet does not show the full story, as the former World Champion has had several editions in which he was a headliner even when he was not winning.
In 2019, he captured the imagination and the faith of the French as he carried the yellow jersey throughout almost the entire three weeks. Only in the high mountains, on stage 19, did he lose that to Egan Bernal on the cut stage into Tignes. Ever since, he has been a premium stage hunter, although over the years others have emerged to since put themselves on the map.
Alaphilippe is now on the other side, an experienced rider, looking to overcome the odds against a generation that has developed with different preparation methods than he did. That has shown over the course of the first half of the season, where the absence of results was notable. An illness was also to blame, forcing him also to withdraw from his main goals at the Ardennes.
Not the start of 2026 Alaphilippe hoped for
"Like I said before the beginning of the season for me was not what I was looking for," he admitted in words to CyclingUpToDate during Tudor Pro Cycling Team's media gathering. "I was not performing at all and I had to stop the Ardennes classics before the end to have a break, a real break, and to restart - not from zero but to restart properly, to build my shape towards the Tour de France".
He is not an isolated case. Other riders have suffered illnesses or injuries but by the time April comes to an end, there is the chance to reset for those who are not racing the Giro d'Italia. Dozens swarmed the slopes of Sierra Nevada, Mount Teide and other locations to train at altitude, with full focus on the month of July.
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"Since then I feel much better," he admits, providing better feedback after a worrying spring. "I can't say that I'm one of the best but I'm getting close. I feel good to be honest, really good, motivated, and let's see what we can do".
His results show a similar story, with a fifth place at the GP Gippingen where he resumed racing in June. At the Tour de Suisse, the opening two days were opportunities for him to succeed, but the Frenchman lacked the legs to make an impact. He withdrew from the race ahead of the queen stage to Villars-sur-Ollon.
After a couple more weeks to cement his fitness, he takes to the start in Barcelona this weekend as Tudor's face - but part of a lineup that can also chase stage wins through the likes of Michael Storer, Arvid de Kleijn and Matteo Trentin.
Julian Alaphilippe wrongly celebrating a stage win at the 2025 Tour de France
A different Tour de France for the former World Champion
"It's already my eighth Tour de France, it means a lot for me, it's a lot of kilometers, but also a lot of emotions that you can only feel in the Tour de France," Alaphilippe explained. For a French rider, it continues to be the most important appointment of the year. "I'm happy to have this relation with this race, I'm happy to have this experience to share with my teammates".
Now in a different phase of his career, he also finds the energy and motivation from teaming up with riders from a different generation: "Like for example Yannis Voisard, it's his first Tour de France, I can see on his eyes what he feels and I'm happy to see this".
But it's not a nostalgia run, the Tour will be a serious pursuit of another stage win for himself, and what would be Tudor's first Tour de France win. "And I still have this fire so you know... It's a good mix of experienced guys like Matteo Trentin and Marco Haller and some guys whose first Tour de France. We have a young team in the phase of development but we have good ambitions to do a good Tour de France and leaving the maximum," he concluded.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- Let's hope he something, wasted himself under Lefervre towards the end..as he missed tours due to him
leedorney01-07-2026 - Errr how can you shape the race when you do not even have a team leader. Thomas fab rider but is like a director sportif from the 80's. Come on instead od spouting jargon just say we are going for stage winspaultryan200201-07-2026
- Despite the headline this piece had nothing to to with Vins wife. Clickbait at it''s worst and more than a bit pathetic cyclinguptodate.Cyclingsbestfan01-07-2026
- I believe that the relentless emphasis on Jonas' family affairs is exhausting and oversimplifies his athletic career.
vannpelt01-07-2026 - I watched that Tour, and I agree with Clement's summary of it. Pog was steadily taking back time on Jonas after Stage 5, and at the end of week 2 Jonas looked as tired as Pog. But his uncompromised preparation blazed out in week 3. Pog still soundly beat everyone else in that time trial, but Jonas was on fire.Hills3301-07-2026
- yeah, boy, cyclo-cross.
KerisVroom01-07-2026 - lolmij01-07-2026
- Leave the wives and families out of the scrum. Personally would rather see Van Aert win a few stages than watch Vingegaard try to stay on Pogacar's wheel for 3 weeks.JM01-07-2026
- 2 things to disprove your point: Vingegaard has won the Drôme classic, which is hilly, not mountainous Pogačar does not win or even take part in Schjeldeprijs, Brugge, Copenhagen etc.
Rafionain-Glas01-07-2026 - Pretty sure everyone here knows thatJumpyjohn01-07-2026
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