Julian Alaphilippe

Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step) is the darling of the French public and is known for his swashbuckling style and panache that has led him to victories across the cycling calendar.

He is a two-time road world champion and the winner of several major one-day races.

Not long after turning pro in 2014, Alaphilippe stood out as a talented rider amongst the French contingent. Even within his first season at the highest level, Alaphilippe was a winner, taking a stage win at the Tour de l’Ain ahead of the likes of Dan Martin. In 2016, Alaphilippe won his first WorldTour stage race with a victory at the Amgen Tour of California, which firmly established him as a shining light for the future.

Over the next few seasons, Alaphilippe’s quality only grew with each passing race. In 2017, Alaphilippe made the final selection in Milan-San Remo with Michal Kwiatkowski and Peter Sagan in a famous edition of the Classic with a three-way photo finish.

That summer, Alaphilippe took a stage at the Vuelta a España before finishing second at Il Lombardia, establishing himself as a force in the hilly Classics. In 2018, that was confirmed with his first of three career Flèche Wallonne wins, a win at San Sebastián, as well as an overall win at the Tour of Britain and his first two Tour de France stage wins to go with a polka dot jersey.

In 2019, Alaphilippe started with a flawless Spring, winning Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo, two stages of Tirreno-Adriatico, and his second Flèche Wallonne win. His only blemish was a tactical miscalculation that cost him a win at Amstel Gold Race, where Mathieu van der Poel announced himself with his come-from-behind win. Besides that, it was a spring where Alaphilippe was at his best. That momentum continued into the summer, where Alaphilippe shocked the world with a blistering performance at the Tour, winning two stages and holding the yellow jersey for 14 days and finished fifth overall.

While Alaphilippe has not matched his 2019 effort at the Tour de France, he has since bolstered his credentials as one of his generations best one-day racers with Tour stage wins in 2020 and 2021, another Flèche win in 2021 and, most significantly, two consecutive World Championships titles in 2020 and 2021.

Nevertheless, with a constant string of injuries and setbacks, 2022 and 2023 have been the quietest years for Alaphilippe as he has looked to regain the fitness that made him one of cycling’s most exciting riders. He will stay with Soudal Quick-Step in 2024 as he looks to return to his best.