05/08/2022

"To win a third world title is what I am working for" - Julian Alaphilippe going all in for World championships

Julian Alaphilippe will be looking to prepare as best as possible for the World championships, as he returns to racing once again with a packed schedule down to Australia where he'll try to take a third title.

“I hope the worst is behind me now. I’ve been keeping the morale high, and though I’ve been sick again [with Covid-19], I am excited to race again. The Vuelta a España is a big objective, so let’s work toward that," Alaphilippe said in a recent interview. Over the last few months the World champion has been recovering from a brutal crash at Liège-Bastogne-Liège which left him with several injuries.

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Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team decided to keep him out of the Tour de France, and instead focusing on recovering and the final part of the season. He won the opening stage of the Tour de Wallonie on his return, but got Covid-19 just days after. ”I was sick and it’s been a few weeks more off the rhythm," he described. “...I was sick and I was forced to stop again. That’s life. I have to take it like that. I just don’t know how I will feel when I am back in the race.”

Now he resets his targets, with the Tour of Leuven and the Tour de l'Ain on the schedule as he attempts to get some racing in the legs before the Vuelta a Espana where he will be chasing stage wins, his best form and possibly help Remco Evenepoel aswell. "I am excited to race this weekend, and the Tour d’Ain. And it’s very important ahead of the Vuelta. I hope to do well, but we will see how I feel after COVID," he added.

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“The Vuelta is the next big goal, so that’s why the Tour de l’Ain is going to be important for me. I hope the race will put me on track,” he said. He'll have opportunities to raise his arms over the coming week, but the true goals come over the next six weeks. “For the Vuelta, we have to see. If I can back to a normal rhythm and I am back to top form, I can have a good Vuelta," the Frenchman pointed out.

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However, after Imola and Leuven, it will be Wollongong that Alaphilippe eyes with the biggest ambitions. “The world championships are a big goal for me as well. To do the triple would be a dream, and I will try to arrive as good as I can".

"It’s my priority right now. After the Vuelta, to try to win a third world title is what I am working for," he concluded.