Julian Alaphilippe won the first stage of the Tour de Wallonie. It was his second victory of the season.
Alaphilippe has finally returned to track after a lengthy recovery period. The rider is pleased with his victory, given he was not in his best form during the last few months." I am very happy to have won in Huy. This is the ideal scenario for me," said Alaphilippe.
He describes his experience of the first stage. "The race was very tough. I asked my team to make the race hard before the foot of the Wall. I knew I had to be well positioned at the bottom of the Wall, and of course, I needed good legs. When I saw Aranburu doing the sprint, it was almost 300 meters to go. That was a bit far, but I didn't want to let the gap get too big. I still had the energy to make a big effort in the last 150 meters," said Alaphilippe.
Since his crash in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the rider has only participated in the national championship in the month of June. He was not selected for Tour de France, which surprised everyone, given he was making a steady recovery. With victory in the first stage, he is aiming for GC. "It's nice to be back in a competition like this. This feels good. I started this race with a lot of motivation. This is good for my morale. I will now fight to keep the leader's jersey,” concluded Alaphilippe.
The rainbow jersey shines again atop the Mur de Huy! @alafpolak1 takes the victory on the opening stage of the #EthiasTourdeWallonie22 after a perfect ride on the gruelling slopes of the Belgian mythical climb! #WayToRide #No37in2022 Photo: @GettySport
