Julian Alaphilippe reportedly set for immediate retirement despite a year left on his contract at Tudor
CyclingFriday, 21 August 2026 at 13:18
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.
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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.
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- Injuries aside, he just had the best year of his career and has negotiated a schedule that suits him better personally. Visma does seem to be going through a transition, but too many top professionals - Wout, Sepp, Laporte, Campy, etc. - are happy at Visma to say something is "rotten."MidnightRider21-08-2026
- Would have been nice to say what dat the race startscaptmike21-08-2026
- Clearly his heart just wasn't in it anymore. He gave us some pretty entertaining and exciting moments, though, and he rode with panache. I wish him all of the best for the future.
santiagobenites21-08-2026 - No, Pogi won't retire early. I can't imagine how frieders3 and maumaue-mause are feeling. Being Pogi haters and still having to watch him for the next 5 to 6 years must be discomforting. The poor guys.PogiSloFans21-08-2026
- I'm unstoppable I'm a Porsche with no brakes, I'm invincible. Yeah, I win every single game.PogiSloFans21-08-2026
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- Hey maumau-mause, this is a popular song here in Slovenia, from a singer called Adi Smolar. You can use ChatGPT to translate. But you usually sound so "SMART" you won't need ChatGPT: Jaz sem mali psihopat, psiho, psihopat, in te stisnu bom za vrat, bom za vrat! Z mano se ne smeš igrat, se ne smeš igrat, ker jaz sem mali psihopat, psihopat!PogiSloFans21-08-2026
- Maybe he doesn’t actually know he has multiple personality disorder?Mistermaumau21-08-2026
- Straight out of the old white orange mans’ playbook, as usual.Mistermaumau21-08-2026
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