"When I talk with some guys, they don’t dream about winning races anymore" - Julian Alaphilippe sees abrupt change in pro cyclists' mentality

Now 33 years old, Julian Alaphilippe finds himself in a position of being a veteran in the peloton. Whilst very few have had the pleasure of winning as often and as big as him, the Frenchman believes that he sees less of that drive in the peloton nowadays, but instead a pursuit for better power numbers.

“Sometimes I feel that is a bit sad, because when I talk with some guys, they don’t dream about winning races anymore," Alaphilippe told Sigma Sports Unplugged. They’re just happy because they have a good five minute test, because they have good numbers.”

That is however necessary naturally, and in the negotiations process there is often a sharing of data from the riders. This means that although the riders may not achieve their best results - due to supporting roles in the team, bad tactics or difficult positioning - many top teams currently spend a lot of resources signing diamonds in the rough, and the numbers are something that happen to be key.

However, in a sport that has become more and more dependent in technology, the Frenchman sees cases where that dependency seems to go wrong. "I see some people, they cannot go on a bike if they don’t have all these computers," he argues. Rather than have the main focus on the numbers and bike computer, Alaphilippe is an apologist of having the landscape around as the priority.

It's not a performance inhibitor, whilst it helps maintain the pleasure in cycling and the longevity in careers - something that currently is growing shorter and shorter. “Where you make the difference is in your head, when you really dream so bad about something.”

"If you only sit and watch the numbers, the program, the computer, and you don’t look at the trees around, the sky, even if it’s grey, you don’t care because you’re looking at your power meter. That’s a bit sad, and you lose the pleasure of just being a cyclist".

“I know I’m really far to be the best. I’m not a machine. I know when I’m on a good shape and when I feel good, and I can play with my legs and my instinct, I can be part of this," he says. Although he does not have the ability to make the difference in the way that he used to at his prime, Alaphilippe still sets very good numbers.

The main issue is that the peloton is riding at a pace that is substantially higher even when comparing to 2021 when he won his last world title. So he relies on tactical opportunities and ever-aggressive racing to try and net big wins. After moving to Tudor Pro Cycling Team last season he only won once, which was nevertheless at the GP de Québec, a meaningful win added to his palmarès.