The last victory Julian Alaphilippe he had conquered her eleven months ago at the Dauphiné. Since that day there have been more tensions than good performances, in particular with the CEO of Soudal – Quick Step Lefevere, but now everything seems to have passed and the smile has shone again on Alaphilippe’s face. After the victory in Fano.
“This is a stage victory that I will remember forever – said the two-time world champion during the press conference -. She was an important victory for me. And the way I managed to win is also splendid.”
At the finish line the Frenchman was joined by many runners who wanted to hug him and congratulate you for the success achieved, because when you are a great champion, it is never easy when for a long period you can no longer win.”
This is the first participation in the pink race for the Frenchman and he had tried his luck several times during the first part of the Giro. He was looking for victory to interrupt the dry period that began after the victory in Chaise-Dieu, during the Dauphiné in 2023. The two-time world champion attacked from afar today, then remained alone in the last 11 kilometers of the race because Mirco Maestri also he had given up and therefore managed to win with about thirty seconds advantage over Jhonathan Narvaez and Quinten Hermans.
«Today was a great race and a great day. The team had a fantastic race and we took control after the first 60 kilometers of the race. As soon as we started climbing the first wall, I attacked».
The day was truly exciting and on the run, alongside Alaphilippe was Mirco Maestri, from Polti Kometa. «Of course, I didn’t think that I would be on the run all day with Mirco Maestri and I have to congratulate him because he was really good and he too had an excellent chance of winning. We collaborated together and went all out for the whole day. First I started with a small group and when I saw that there was no collaboration I started to push and there were two of us left, but it was certainly not the original plan.”
Alaphilippe and Maestri together collaborated and remained on the run until the last kilometers of the race, but then the Italian gave in and was caught by the chasing group. «When the advantage was 30-40 seconds, even my sporting director Davide Bramati told me to stop, but I decided not to give up and to move forward. I thought that in any case it would have been better to stay in front with a 40-45 second advantage rather than fall back.”
After a long dark period, the sun has finally shined again for Alaphilippe and now, the problems he had with Lefevere also seem to have been resolved. «It was still a nice stage with many ups and downs. It was a path that suited me and this too it was a special day».
In recent months, many thought that the Frenchman had somehow faded away and that perhaps he was starting to think about retiring, but now he is looking for new results.
«I have never felt like I was deadbut it’s part of a runner’s career not to win, it’s difficult to always be on top. However, I always remained calm and calm and knew my level. The desire to continue my career has never changed, I’m happy and a day like today was the icing on the cake. I had already been thinking about this stage for a few days, but I hadn’t planned an action like this. We have been planning to win a stage since the beginning of the pink race, I tried with the first stage and it didn’t work, but today was definitely the ideal day. I have always believed in victory, hI ran this entire Giro with passion and determination and I felt my form growing day after day. It was nice to see everyone very happy for me after arriving, it was truly touching. It was a very special day for me and I will never forget it.”
