Julian Alaphilippe reportedly set for immediate retirement despite a year left on his contract at Tudor
Cycling
Two-time road cycling world champion Julian Alaphilippe has decided to put an end to his successful career with immediate effect, French outlet L'Équipe reports.
An early conclusion
There's no secret that it seemed as though the twilight of Alaphilippe's career might be around the corner, however not many would dare to guess that it might come as early as in August of 2026. After all, the 34-year-old Frenchman still has one more year on his contract with Tudor Pro Cycling.
The 2026 season was not of the same quality we were used to from the former world champion. Only a 5th place at GP Gippingen (1.1) provided us with a small glimpse of Alaphilippe's qualities, but at the Tour de France one month later, he once again fell into mediocrity.
Read also
At the time, Alaphilippe indicated that this might've been his final Grande Boucle, but he had no intention of retiring yet: "I'm not here to say goodbye," Alaphilippe said, although he admitted the final chapter was not as far.
"I've felt I'm nearing the end"
"For the past few years, I've felt I'm nearing the end. In cycling, I'm not getting any younger. But in life, 34 is still young. I have a good year left (on my contract), and above all, I hope for a good life afterward."
First reports emerged at WielerFlits earlier this afternoon that Alaphilippe was "seriously considering" retirement, before L'Équipe confirmed the decision is final via their own sources. Only an official communication by team, or the rider himself, is missing.
This means that Alaphilippe will not participate in the Canadian Classics in Quebec and Montreal in three weeks' time. Neither will he participate in his final World Championships in Montreal two weeks later.
Alaphilippe enjoyed great 13 seasons at highest level. Most of his best years were while wearing the Quick-Step. Alaphilippe won 44 races (and one for Tudor) for the team lead by Patrick Lefevere, including two rainbow jerseys, six Tour de France stages, 3x La Fleche Wallonne, and the Milano-Sanremo. He was rightfully called the best puncheur of his generation.
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.
claps 7visitors 7
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Where Merckx just rode every single race he could and won all the time, Hinault won less often (percentage wise) because he was more judicious in what he raced. His palmares are nuts. He had amazing rivals, one to start his career and another to end it in the grand tours. His classics were solid. What sets him apart from Merckx and Pogačar are that he basically dabbled in the classics while the other two love(d) them. I used to compare Pogačar to Hinault for his grand tour record and occasional classics win, until I realized that the comparison was wrong. Pogačar loves the classics - ah, the memory of his reaction to finishing fourth in a 2 person sprint in Flanders in ‘22: utter domination in any one day race since then, even when he doesn’t win. Hinault lived for the grand tours and I don’t think anyone else will ever reach his record. 10 wins in 13 attempts? Good lord. An amazing rider. Wish there was more footage to watch.RidesHills11-11-2026
- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
- Me too!!!!!Occam10-11-2026
- they can sign any 100 of top riders today but Pogi will win over Remco any time at the TDF unless something goes wrongabstractengineer10-11-2026
Loading
4 Comments