Julian Alaphilippe prepares for life after having spent "third of his life" at Quick-Step: "I will miss was being with the people I was always with"
Cycling
11 seasons. 44 victories. 2 rainbow jerseys. It's no overstatement that Julian Alaphilippe left a huge mark in the rich history of Soudal - Quick-Step. And it goes vice verza as the Wolfpack definitely meant a lot to the popular Frenchman. However at the age of 32, it was time to look for a new challenge which he had found in Tudor Pro Cycling.
"It's difficult to say one thing because for sure the most important thing I will miss was being with the people I was always with – it's not only 10 years of my career, it's a third of my life," Alaphilippe told the assembled media, including Cyclingnews.
"Of course, there were ups and downs but I always enjoyed it and loved the time I had in the team so this is what I will miss the most, like my staff and teammates. But in the end, it's also good to have so many memories. For me and for them it's also life, it's one circle, so it's a good timing for me to have a new environment and see something new."
Decision of brain, not heart
For quite a long time, a different ProTeam was in a pole position to shake hands with the Frenchman. Before Tudor came in with a great offer, it was the French team TotalEnergies, who were hoping to bring the national hero home for the later parts of his career. Alaphilippe expressed gratitude towards the team that showed immense interest, but eventually went along with the ambitious Swiss formation.
"It was not easy to call Jean-René Bernaudeau from TotalEnergies with Benoit Genauzeau because it's not only from this year, it's already a few years that I know that they really want me in the team and it was also a really nice project," Alaphilippe said.
Tudor thus becomes a big player for the Tour de France wild card while TotalEnergies lose some of their ground. "So I knew the disappointment from them when I made my decision and that was not easy for me. But in the end, you have to think about yourself which is a really hard job. It's your decision so when I knew I wouldn't stay, I had to call the other teams and I'm happy with my decision."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
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