"Party beast? They didn't understand that you love life to the fullest" - Colleagues pay tribute to retiring Alaphilippe
Cycling
Over his decade-long professional career, Julian Alaphilippe became a feared force on the bicycle, but also a beloved member of the racing peloton. The two-time world champion surprised with a retirement announcement which comes to effect immediately. That means we won't see the 34-year-old in action again.
His palmares speak for itself; 45 professional victories among which are two rainbow jerseys, three titles at La Fleche Wallonne, six Tour de France stages, Milano-Sanremo victory, and many more. And much wasn't missing for the Frenchman to have won the Tour de France in 2019...
Many colleagues from the peloton as well have come forward to pay their tributes to the man who, for a decade, has been the face of French cycling. That includes fellow compatriots Warren Barguil, Lilian Calmejane, or Romain Bardet. But also superstars of cycling world like Mathieu van der Poel and Alejandro Valverde.
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Warren Barguil (34) himself might have got retirement at the back of his mind, and has spent a bit of time (suffering) in the Tour's final mountain stage to Alpe d'Huez as the duo crossed the finish line together: "Thank you for everything. We shared quite a few kilometers on the road, always smiling, friendly, in good spirits and ready to make everyone laugh."
"You have a record that everyone dreams of having," added Barguil. "Those last kilometers on Alpe d'Huez were incredibly emotional... and ultimately, it was your last. You will remain the champion everyone knew, with panache, a strong character, and incredible legs."
Party animal
Lilian Calmejane shared the traditional French "panache" as a fellow fearless attacker, and thus has made some great memories with Alaphilippe over the years: "From your very first days as a pro, you dazzled the entire cycling world with your talent, your class, your smile, your incisive attacks," Calmejane wrote.
"Approachable, cheerful, kind. Some described you as a party animal? They didn't understand that you love life to the fullest, friendships, lightheartedness, and living in the moment."
Alejandro Valverde ranks amongst the best Ardennes specialists in history, and has fought many great battles with Alaphilippe; especially on the mythical Mur de Huy where the two men combine for eight victories. "He was one of my main rivals for many years, with whom I shared the road and the same goals. I wish you all the best."
Final words of praise come from one of the world's best at the moment - Mathieu van der Poel: "You are one of the riders who has inspired me the most. You can be proud of your incredible career."
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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- the headline is poorly written too. it makes it sound like their plan is to simply wait until he stops.mij13-11-2026
- It doesnt take a genius to understand that Pogi is 1 level above and Pogi is younger that Jonas, so Jonas will not win under ordinary circumstances. Pogi has to crack hard for Jonas to win. It doesn't matter whether you defend Jonas or not , facts remain facts. Jonas himself says his numbers are better than 2022/2023, so Jonas is more or less optimized and we are just see the stochastic variation due to other factors. I think he will retire along with Pedersen in WC denmarkabstractengineer13-11-2026
- They only raced each other during the 2026 Tour, but here's a few metrics to look at. Stage 3 (Granollers to Les Angles): Pogačar won the stage, finishing 2 seconds ahead of Vingegaard (2nd). Del Toro finished 24 seconds behind Stage 6 (Pau to Gavarnie-Gedre / Col du Tourmalet): Pogačar won solo, Vingegaard finished 2nd (losing 2:38), and Del Toro finished 3rd (at +2:57, finishing 19 seconds behind Vingegaard). Here, Jonas Vingegaard outclimbed Isaac del Toro by 19 seconds on the mountain stageawp13-11-2026
- your clinging to the past. Jonas was dropped by del toro many times last year and jonas never managed a climbing numers del toro did in dauphine last year -entire year. Trend is also evident theres no discussion your living in the past, its beent he same with jonas for many years now and only developing, meanwhile del toro is rising and developing greatly. This is all obvious stuff and im not even a del toro fan. No point discussing numbers or this i suspect you dont watch much now but rather think its 2022 still cause this aint hard.miguel13-11-2026
- We can go through metrics if you like, Del Toro, who I do admire and support, is not on the same level as Jonas just yet. You will see that in early 2027 if they have any crossover races. I do hope they both race the Giro. You are correct though, Jonas is getting older and will not be able to hand on much longer. I see 2027 as a good year for him. Obviously behind Tadej though.awp13-11-2026
- What wins? Are you LA operating under a pseudonym?mij13-11-2026
- My point is this - Tadej, Remco, Seixas are all the outliers. Many riders don’t hit their peak until 28. It’s way too early to write him off. And the pogi slo guy that hates him - he’s also immature. Ayuso needs time.mij13-11-2026
- Then you need to use ur eyes or head if you have cause del toro already dropped jonas two times and beat him in tdf stages already this year.. Del toro climbed(dauphine) better numbers than jonas did all year too. So ur feelings and wishful thinking doesnt amtter del toro himself has already surpassed jonas infact just facts. Its also very evident for anyone objective that Jonas is declining alot, its just the truth and super obvious.miguel13-11-2026
- None of those victories stand, so there's that,wrsty13-11-2026
- No surprise there; it is British Sycling, yes, with an S
Rafionain-Glas12-11-2026
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