9:00 a.m., April 4, 2021
Julian Alaphilippe “adores” Belgium. But not to the point of leaving Andorra, its severe buttresses and its flowing taxation. “Contrary to what some have said, I am not moving here,” he said in February after the acquisition of a pied-à-terre in his adopted country was revealed. Since he donned the rainbow jersey of world champion in September, the best French rider of the moment has a hell of a rating among our neighbors: he has dethroned Roger Federer as the kingdom’s favorite foreign athlete, d ‘after a survey of The last hour published at the beginning of the year. The Belgians have a little “the seum” to have to share this puncher that they have seen grow.
Erase the bitter memory of his last Tour of Flanders
Eight years already that Patrick Lefevere, the big boss of the Deceuninck-Quick Step pack, added him to his reserve team, Etixx. What fate would Alaphilippe have had by signing instead with Bretagne-Schuller, who had also noticed him? A wink announcing that he would have a footrest on either side of the border, it was at the 2013 Tour de Bretagne that he recorded his first victory among the professionals. He added 35 to his track record, one of the longest in the peloton at just 28 years old.
“
There is a pressure apart, a strong tension in the race
“
His first Classic: the Flèche wallonne, in 2018. A successful Ardennes event (two successes, four podiums). A taste of the Milan-Sanremo Monument, tamed a year later. Now, he dreams of a big blow to Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the doyenne (April 25), or from Sunday afternoon to the Tour of Flanders. “There is a pressure apart, a strong tension in the race, he describes. I like the atmosphere.”
Also read – What is a cycling classic?
Behind closed doors, it will not taste like the television broadcasts of his childhood. But what really matters is erasing the bitter memory of his first participation last year: run over by a biker, fractured hand, wasted hope. A “bad moment” on which he prefers not to dwell any longer. The vibrations on the cobblestones of the “Ronde” hurt his recognition of the course. He expected it. Do not dwell on it, because Mathieu Van der Poel and Wout Van Aert will not make any gifts. “We do not hide with the jersey of world champion,” assumes Lefevere, who has seen a few. Not the kind of his colt.
“Here, we love football and cycling”
For those who love the classics of the North, it’s Christmas in April. “These races have always attracted me,” rewinds Alaphilippe. In the team, he talks with his colleagues who have won, looks back at the epic arrivals of previous years. And, from afar, can count on local support, supporters and alumni. “He’s a nice guy who has done a lot for the success of Belgian cycling, teases Peter Van Petegem, ogre of one-day races at the turn of the century. Here, we love football and cycling, so Alaphilippe is the one of our favorites. Out of 100 people, 99 love it. “
As luck can sometimes do things well, the Berrichon will be entitled to a second Belgian session at the end of the season: after the Olympic goal in Tokyo, he already knows that he will defend his rainbow jersey at the end of September, at the Worlds. in Flanders. Like at home.
–
