Julian Alaphilippe "really eager to restart and find again my best level" after difficult season and Lefevere criticism

Julian Alaphilippe has an important year in 2023, as he finds himself in contract year with Soudal - Quick-Step, with Patrick Lefevere unhappy with the Frenchman, who is now without the rainbow stripes which he has carried for a long time.

“I feel good and I’m really motivated to start the season. I didn’t make of these races in Mallorca a big objective, my primary goal here is to do a good effort and see where my form is," the Frenchman said in a press release. "The race on Friday [Trofeo Andratx], with that nice finish, suits me a bit better than the rest, but we have a strong team and we’ll go for the best result in each of these five days. I’m very excited about finally beginning my season, about doing these nice races, where I will try to do my best and build up for the spring."

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Alaphilippe is a big contender for this Wednesday's Trofeo Calvia, aswell as the hilly races in Mallorca this week. They are however preparation after a long winter of training. He aims to perform in the spring, the main goals being Strade Bianche, Milano-Sanremo and the cobbled classics with the Tour des Flandres.

"As previously stated, Flanders will be one of my big goals this year. It’s a race that motivates me, a race that makes me dream. It has all that history, that tradition, everything is special about it," he continued. "I enjoyed my previous appearances there, even though they didn’t end up well and I’m not as experienced as some of the guys in the team on those cobbles, but I’m looking forward to being back at the start and giving my best in April."

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In 2020 he was in the fight for the win but crashed out when he collided with a motorcycle. After Flandres he will still aim at Flèche Wallone and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, but in the latter Remco Evenepoel will be beside him trying to defend his 2022 title.

"In my head I feel different compared to the last seasons, I’m really eager to restart and find again my best level. Going for the win is what motivates me in training. I had a good winter, took some time for myself to recover physically and mentally, and all I want to do is enjoy again the races. I feel more relaxed now, the weight of having the rainbow jersey on my shoulders has evaporated," Alaphilippe admits.

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Although with less pressure from the jersey, he faces pressure from the team as Patrick Lefevere has repeatedly commented on his lack of results over the last few years - despite Alaphilippe's 2021 world title and 2022 campaign being riddled with ilnesses and injuries. "Winning that jersey was my dream, and winning it twice is the highlight of my career. Not having it anymore will give me back a bit of the freedom that I had before becoming World Champion."

"The motivation and desire to win races are still there, it’s only this pressure brought by the jersey that has disappeared. But I want to be clear: the jersey also helped me in difficult times and reminded me of what I achieved. It helped even during the wintertime to properly hit the reset button and prepare for the new season," he concluded.

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