Riding in his typically aggressive and full-gas manner, Alaphilippe was on the attack for over 120 kilometres during the day, before finally arriving solo into Fano, 31 seconds clear of the INEOS Grenadiers' Jhonatan Narvaez at the line. Having already shown some positive signs with a 2nd placed finish on stage 6, where Movistar Team's Pelayo Sanchez took victory, Alaphilippe's return to form has been an emphatic silencing to his doubters.
"All the riders that are hugging him speaks volumes. He's a very-respected rider in the way that he's ridden in the start of his career up until now," adds
Adam Blythe, pointing out how despite the lack of results in recent years, the love for the French talent has never dwindled.
No one has been more outspoken in their criticism of Alaphilippe in recent years than his team boss,
Patrick Lefevere, with the controversial Belgian growing increasingly personal in his tirade of public criticism of his star. "I think the weight on his shoulders has been extremely heavy. [He's] one of the best-paid riders within that team, so he's expected to perform," says Blythe. "He has been through a lot, he's been questioned a lot, he's been given a lot of abuse from his boss towards not only him, his family. I think to come out of that the other side and just let the legs do the talking without saying anything to media, that is by far the best way to deal with it. Full chapeau to him, it's just brilliant to see Alaphilippe doing Alaphilippe things."
