Julian Alaphilippe said that the 2026 Tour de France will be his last, after finishing stage 20.

The Tudor Pro Cycling rider finished 29th on the penultimate stage of the race, and said just after it that it was "certainly" his final race. The 34-year-old has won six stages of the Tour over his career, including a memorable spell in the yellow jersey at the 2019 edition, which only ended on stage 19, when he rode for Deceuninck-Quick Step. He ended up fifth in the race. The double world champion raced eight Tours in all, and he does have one more year on his Tudor contract, but it seems like he won't be battling for yellow again.

His returns at his home Grand Tour were slim this year; he sits 125th overall after stage 20.

It was a "very, very difficult Tour de France", he told Eurosport on Saturday. "Today was a tough stage, so phew," he continued. "Honestly, my legs weren't what I'd hoped for, so I suffered a lot, but we never gave up, we fought hard. Yannis (Voisard) gave everything to protect his position in the general classification (11th, in his first Tour), and Rick (Pluimers) was also putting in some great sprints... Of course, we would have hoped to do better, winning would have been great, but we gave it our all."

Tudor's best result at this year's Tour was fifth for Pluimers on stage 17, which was won by Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech).

"I was with Warren Barguil just then. There were a lot of emotions. We have suffered a lot in this Tour," the Frenchman said at the finish, Cyclingnews reported.

"I’m not thinking about tomorrow. I’m thinking about nothing at all," he continued, answering a question about stage 21 in Paris. "All I really want is to hold my son in my arms.

"It’s maybe my last one, so I made the most of it, I gave everything, not with a lot of success but I didn’t leave anything out there. That’s how cycling is," Alaphilippe added. He had flirted with the time cut on stage 19, finishing 159th out of 160 riders the first time the race went up Alpe d'Huez, 32:51 behind the winner, Tadej Pogačar.

"I feel happy to finish this Tour, it’s certainly my last one," Alaphilippe said, definitively.

The Lloyds Tour of Britain Men is by some distance the biggest bike race in the UK for male cyclists and is well respected on the world stage too. As such, it is always able to attract a field with at least a smattering of big-name riders, with many warming up for the World Championships.

This year does not buck that trend; in fact, with Geraint Thomas riding his last ever pro race, his presence alone is likely to bring out huge numbers of fans to the roadside. But there is also double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel, former world champ Julian Alaphilippe and more. You can discover the whole start list here, as well as our guide to the race route.

Ahead of the race beginning on Tuesday, 2 September in East Suffolk, we take a look at the riders to watch this week.

Geraint Thomas

Ineos Grenadiers, GBr, 39
Previous ToB starts: 9

It will not be news to many British bike racing fans that Geraint Thomas has had a long (and illustrious) career. But what might raise eyebrows is the fact that he first rode the Tour of Britain a full 20 years ago, back in 2005.

Aged just 19 at that point, he would have scarcely been able to imagine the career that lay ahead, complete with Olympic golds and a Tour de France victory.

Now 39, Thomas can still turn in a handy ride, but is more likely to be riding in service of a teammate for this edition, which will nevertheless honour his career on the final stage, with a start at the velodrome named after him in Newport and a finish in his home city of Cardiff.

That day will mark his final race as a pro and Cardiff will effectively see him retire. The dry eyes will be in the minority that day.

Remco Evenepoel

Soudal Quick-Step, Bel, 25
Previous ToB starts: 1

In his first ToB participation last year Remco Evenepoel was one of the most feted riders on the start list. All eyes were on him as he suffered through the British weather to finish a disappointed 28th on GC and without a sniff of success in his post Olympic hangover.

Once again he is likely to be one of the most anticipated riders at the British tour; less might be expected of him this year though, given his season so far has been far from the glory-fest of summer 2024, where he was third at the Tour de France and scored an Olympic double.

However, the Belgian will still theoretically be one of the strongest riders, and having pulled out of the Tour will be keen to get some preparation in for the Kigali Worlds at the end of September.

It will also likely be one of the final times he races in a Soudal Quick-Step jersey, before departing for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe next season.

Oscar Onley

Picnic PostNL, GBr, 22
Previous ToB starts: 2

How else do you mark fourth place at the Tour de France? That’s right, by racing across England and Wales at the Tour of Britain. Oscar Onley became just the second Scot to finish in the top five overall at the Tour last month, after Philippa York, and will surely be greeted by an appreciative public over the six days of this race.

However, he won’t just be here on some kind of parade, as the man from Kelso finished second last year behind Stevie Williams, and could very well put in that kind of performance again this year, especially with The Tumble coming into play on stage five.

Onley is yet to win a professional stage race overall, so this could very well be his chance, even if he will be well-marked now that the peloton knows he can keep up with Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard. The home favourite.

Julian Alaphilippe

Tudor Pro Cycling, Fra, 33
Previous ToB starts: 3

The French puncheur returns to the race he once won – back in 2018, when he took a stage win in Bristol and two second places on his way to overall victory.

He also rode in 2021 (he was third overall) and he came back last year too, taking a second place on the hilly stage two, behind eventual winner Stevie Williams.

This year, with new team Tudor Pro Cycling, Alaphilippe says he has "rediscovered the joy of racing" that always seemed to mark him out in his best years.

He has been relatively quiet this year, but in the low-pressure environment of the Tour of Britain – and one that he knows well – perhaps we will see him show that spark again, he is after all, only 33. A stage win is certainly not beyond his reach, with The Tumble finish on the penultimate day likely to offer a potential opportunity.

Olav Kooij

Visma-Lease a Bike, Ned, 23
Previous ToB starts: 1

Olav Kooij is a sprinter, so you would expect him to be counted out of a list of overall contenders for the Tour of Britain. Last time he was at the race, however, he won half the stages – four of eight back then. He might still have finished 48th overall, but on that kind of record, he can’t be counted against.

There will be at least three sprint stages on the road from Suffolk to Cardiff, and expect Kooij to be in the conversation for every single one of them. The 23-year-old has won six times this season, including twice at the Giro d’Italia, and has the speed and the nous to dominate at a race of the Tour of Britain’s level. He’s expected to leave Visma-Lease a Bike for Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale at the end of the year, so think of this as a last hurrah for Kooij at the Dutch team, on roads where he has been successful before.

Tom Donnenwirth

Groupama-FDJ, Fra, 27
Previous ToB starts: 1

A late bloomer, the not-very-French-sounding Tom Donnenwirth joined the WorldTour with Groupama-FDJ this season, aged 27. His signing wouldn’t have been wholly based on his performances at last year’s Tour of Britain, when he was racing for Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Development, but it won’t have hurt that he finished eighth overall.

The man from Aurillac has history at this race, then, and is also in form, taking his first ever professional victory at the Tour de l’Ain in early August, leading home his teammate David Gaudu and Andrea Vendrame of Decathlon in a small bunch sprint. Perhaps Donnenwirth is a Tour of Britain specialist - this year will improve on a small sample size so far.

Other than the Tour de l’Ain, though, this year hasn’t been a barnstorming step up, with top fives at the Muscat Classic and a stage of the Route d’Occitanie the only other notable results.

Others to watch

Tao Geoghegan Hart | Lidl-Trek | GBr | 30
Previous ToB starts: 4
One of two British Grand Tour winners on the start line, alongside Geraint Thomas, Tao Geoghegan Hart hasn’t ridden the Tour of Britain since Team Sky existed. Similar to Thomas, it would be a surprise if the Londoner challenged for the overall, but his climbing skills are well known.

Mark Donovan | Q36.5 Pro Cycling | GBr |26
Previous ToB starts: 4
Fourth last year at the Tour of Britain, Mark Donovan returns to try and go at least one better. He has finished in the top 10 three times, so is a safe bet to do so again in 2025. The man from the Lake District hasn’t won a race this year, but did finish second at Coppi e Bartali.

Andrea Vendrame | Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale | Ita | 31
Previous ToB starts: 0
Andrea Vendrame has never raced the Tour of Britain before, but he is a two-time Giro d’Italia stage winner, so has the ability to perform at the highest level. The Italian won a stage of Tirreno-Adriatico earlier this year, out-sprinting Tom Pidcock in Colfiorito, and he is one to watch on stage four in Warwickshire.

Fred Wright | Bahrain Victorious | GBr | 26
Previous ToB starts: 1

A late announcement for the Tour of Britain, the former British national champion comes to the Tour of Britain after fourth place at the Renewi Tour, a not dissimilar race across Belgium, and is looking to test his late-season legs on home roads.

British riders to watch

As the only British WorldTour team, Ineos Grenadiers come replete with British talent, beyond Geraint Thomas. There is national champion Sam Watson, who will be seeking to replicate the form he had in Wales in June, as he comes off the back of a first Tour de France. He was a late replacement in the eight-man squad in France for Ben Swift, who will be making his 11th appearance at the Tour of Britain, but has only won a stage once.

The Great Britain squad is replete with up-and-coming talent, including Ben Wiggins and Joshua Golliker, both of whom finished on the podium of the under-23 race at the National Championships in June. Josh Charlton will also ride, primarily a track cyclist, but using the ToB as an opportunity to see how he goes on the road. Matt Bostock, an ever-present rider at domestic road races and crits will relish the chance to sprint against WorldTour opposition. Harrison Wood, previously of Cofidis, now rides for Portuguese team Anicolor-Tien21, and will hope to impress at his home race.

Matthew Brennan of Visma-Lease a Bike is probably the best British rider this year, and could add to his 11 pro wins this season in his own country.

This year's Lloyds Tour of Britain Men peloton will feature some of the race's former stars, with a start list replete with previous winners of stages and the overall too.

Topping the list is 2018 GC winner Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor Pro Cycling), who also had a great race in 2021 when he wore the world champion's rainbow bands and took three stage podiums as well as placing third on GC.

The Frenchman has ridden the Tour of Britain three times and has finished in the top 10 in half of the stages he's raced there – expect to see him in the thick of the action on the hillier days this year.

Former stage winners Ben Swift (Ineos Grenadiers), Matteo Trentin (Tudor Pro Cycling), Rasmus Tiller (Uno-X Mobility) and Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) will also be in attendance at the race start on Tuesday September 2, in Woodbridge, Suffolk.

Bennett won his ToB stage back in 2013, when he triumphed in a bunch sprint on stage five in Caerphilly, while Swift recorded his first ever pro win at the race, all the way back in 2009, winning stage seven in Yeovil.

Also on the current provisional startlist is Visma-Lease a Bike rider Olav Kooij, who boasts a quartet of stage wins from 2023, when he led the GC for much of the race, only to be overtaken by team-mate Wout van Aert in the final days.

The only other rider to be announced so far – Remco Evenepoel of Soudal Quick-Step – has yet to win a stage of the race. He rode last year between Olympic Games and World Championship time trial victories, but suffered in the rain and came away with a best stage placing of fifth.

This year's race will be held over six stages, running from September 2 to Sunday September 7. Beginning in the east of England with two stages in East Anglia, the race moves slowly west, with stage three in central England between Milton Keynes and Ampthill, a Warwickshire stage with a hilltop finish.

The final two stages will be held in Wales, with stage five featuring a double ascent of the Tumble, and the final stage starting outside the Geraint Thomas National Velodrome of Wales in Newport and finishing in Cardiff.

Tom Pidcock is set to ride the Giro d’Italia after his Q36.5 Pro Cycling team received a wild card invite to the Italian Grand Tour.

A press release from the Giro organiser, RCS, issued on Monday evening confirmed that Q36.5 would be present at the upcoming race alongside Julian Alaphilippe’s Tudor Pro Cycling, Team Polti Visit Malta and VF Group BardianiCSF - Faizane.

Alongside Israel-Premier Tech, four extra ProTeams received invites to the event after the UCI ruled to increase the number of teams allowed to compete from 22 to 23. After initially being pitched to the UCI by the Professional Cycling Council (PCC), the UCI management committee approved the request on Monday meaning that the new rule will come into effect in May when the Giro gets underway. All 18 men’s WorldTour teams will also be on the start line in Albania on Friday 9 May.

Pidcock has never ridden the elite men’s Giro d’Italia. He won the under-23 edition, otherwise known as the ‘Baby Giro’ in 2020 but was never selected to ride the senior equivalent by his former team, Ineos Grenadiers. Instead he rode the Tour de France on several occasions and made an appearance at the Vuelta a España in 2021.

The British rider has started the season in fine form, winning the AlUla Tour and a stage in the Ruta del Sol in February. He also finished second at Strade Bianche and achieved sixth overall at Tirreno-Adriatico.

The 2025 Giro d'Italia begins on 9 May 2025, with a Grande Partenza in Albania. After three days in Albania, the peloton will be back in Italy for the 108th edition of the race which concludes on 1 June. Tadej Pogačar won last year’s edition but will not be present in Italy this time round. The Slovenian is targeting the Spring Classics and the Tour de France instead.

Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe’s Primož Roglič and Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) will be two of the main favourites for overall victory in Italy. Roglič won the recent Volta a Catalunya and Ayuso triumphed at Tirreno-Adriatico.

Other star riders expected to race the Giro include Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and 2021 winner Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers).

“WTF is a Greggs." This was a tweet I read this week from a cycling fan, who clearly didn’t live in the UK, and it made me chuckle to myself. 

It’s a fair question, actually. To help out, others leapt to answer it. “Only the best place in the world,” one person wrote. “It’s actually elite,” another said. The most succinct definition I saw was as such: “It’s a national chain of bakeries in the UK, but in truth, it’s so much more.” 

I know what you’re thinking: why is someone mansplaining Greggs to me on a cycling website? Again, a fair question. Well, on Monday morning, for a brief moment in time, Britain’s beloved bakery merged worlds with that of elite-level cycling, and the scene was magnificent. 

Allow me to describe it to you. Shared on X by Soudal Quick-Step, there’s a photo that shows two-time world champion Julian Alaphilippe readying himself before stage one of the Tour of Britain. He’s clipped into his pedal with his left foot, holds one hand on the bars, and the other on his brake lever. Over both of his shoulders, emblazoned in bold, white text, the Greggs logo frames his helmeted skull. It looks as if – and this is what Twitter has chosen to believe – the Frenchman has just raided the pastry shelves. 

“This is art,” commented the official Greggs account. I, personally, can’t help but agree. In years to come, critics will look back on this photo, a priceless race artifact, a fusion of high-end sport and high-street retail, and talk at length about the dichotomy of the two worlds. In reality, they are closer than they seem.

That’s right, Greggs and cycling are actually closely aligned. Many of us cyclists rely on the bakery for a quick, and crucially cheap, calorie hit when we’re out on our rides. Last year, my girlfriend bought me a £20 Greggs gift card for my birthday (among other things, don’t worry), which guaranteed me a filling flow of vegan sausage rolls. 

There’s actually a Greggs kiosk inside the giant Asda outside British Cycling’s Manchester HQ. Riders at this year’s National Track Championships visited it for their pre- and post-race nutrition, with one telling me the chain’s steak bake was the perfect stomach settler. 

So line your belly, Loulou. There are two days remaining of the Tour of Britain, and with a host of Greggs stores in both Northampton and Felixstowe, I’ll be disappointed if I don’t see queues out the door. 

1. Trust a Frenchman to start his day at the boulangerie

2. It's two for one at Soudal Quick-Step – Remco Evenepoel filled his jersey pockets, too

3. If you're wondering who we have to thank for this content, it's Phil Lowe, Soudal Quick-Step's communications manager and fellow Greggs aficionado

4. It's not just bakeries at the Tour of Britain. Here's the British national champion outside of one of his country's biggest institutions

5. Team GB's Archie Atkinson can win Paralympic medals, but can he eat a whole muffin in one mouthful? 

6. Now we go from muffin-eaters to Beefeaters. I hope Remco Evenepoel got to hear his 'hardstyle' tunes

7. There's been a glitch in the Matrix 

8. Either Grace Brown has become confused by what 'Team GB' is, or David Beckham has a favourite Australian time trialist

9. A Strava notification pings on your phone. Your KOM crown has been stolen. You look to see who took it, and your face drops when you spot it's a fella (Lachlan Morton, to be fair) on a 500km ride

10. Watch until the end for the twist

11. Shorts and short sleeves in the rain? They're made different in Yorkshire

12. This ultra-rider bumped into Geraint Thomas on a ride, and left with a fistful of gels for proof

13. Step aside UAE Team Emirates

14. And finally, here's some warming, fatherly advice from Primož Roglič

Tom Pidcock will battle Remco Evenepoel for the win at this year's Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men, with the two Olympic gold medallists set to take the start line at the beginning of September.

Soudal Quick-Step's Evenepoel was already confirmed as taking part, but Cycling Weekly learned this week that Ineos Grenadiers' Pidcock will be present at the race.

Evenepoel is set to lead the line for Soudal Quick-Step alongside former world champion Julian Alaphilippe, while Pidcock will likely lead Ineos. It will be one of Alaphilippe's last races for Quick-Step before he leaves for Tudor.

It is understood that much of this year’s Tour of Britain course was designed with the aim of attracting Pidcock to the race once again. The opening two stages alone feature more than 5,000 metres of elevation gain, a prospect which a Classics winner like Pidcock could relish. 

Pidcock's presence will automatically see him tagged as a favourite for victory alongside Evenepoel, with the punchy course, especially in the opening days, suiting the pair.

The double-Olympic mountain bike champion has ridden the race twice before. In 2022, Pidcock was second overall before the race was cancelled due to the death of the Queen, finishing behind Gonzalo Serrano (Movistar). He returned to the race last year but pulled out halfway through due to issues with a saddle sore. 

Prior to heading to the UK to race once again on home roads, the 25-year-old will ride the mountain bike World Championships in his adopted home of Andorra next weekend. The Yorkshireman is the reigning cross-country MTB world champion after winning the title in Glasgow last summer.

After the Tour of Britain, he is then expected to be riding both the GP de Montréal and GP de Québec in Canada, although that it is not confirmed.

The Yorkshireman has been recently linked with a move away from his current team, although Pidcock has three years left to run on his multi-year deal at Ineos.

Full route details were recently announced for the Tour of Britain with two punchy opening stages in Scotland and northern England. The peloton will then head south with stages in South Yorkshire, the East Midlands and Northamptonshire before its conclusion in Suffolk. 

Double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel and Julian Alaphilippe will both ride the upcoming Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men for Soudal Quick-Step, British Cycling Events revealed on Friday. 

After recently winning two gold medals at the Paris Olympics, Evenepoel will make his Tour of Britain debut as he builds for the upcoming road World Championships in Zurich, Switzerland at the end of September. 

Evenepoel will be joined on the start line, on 3 September in Kelso in the Scottish borders, by Alaphilippe in what is likely to be one of the final appearances the former two-time road world champion makes in the colours of Soudal Quick-Step. It was recently confirmed by Quick-Step boss Patrick Lefevere that after 11 years, Alaphilippe will leave the Belgian team at the end of the season.

Alaphilippe won the Tour of Britain in 2018, winning stages in Bristol and the Lake District on the way to overall victory. He also finished third on the podium in 2021, narrowly missing out on a second overall victory to Visma-Lease a Bike’s Wout van Aert. 

Van Aert's Visma-Lease a Bike team will not be at the race this year. 

Alaphilippe has already won stages of the Tour of Slovakia, Czech Tour and the Giro d’Italia this year. As well as a stage win in Fano, he also took home the Giro’s combativity award at the end of the race in Rome. 

Alongside the two headline names, British Cycling also confirmed that Ethan Vernon (Israel-Premier Tech) will also be present at the race, as well as Jonas Abramsen (Uno-X Mobility). Vernon recently won a silver medal as part of the GB men’s team pursuit squad at the Paris Olympics. 

Ineos Grenadiers, dsm–firmenich PostNL and Bahrain Victorious complete the WorldTour lineup set to compete in the event. None of the three teams have revealed their roster for the race, but Cycling Weekly understands Tom Pidcock is likely to feature for Ineos. 

Pidcock was recently crowned double Olympic champion in cross-country mountain bike after taking gold in Paris. 

This year’s race will be run over six stages - starting in Kelso on 3 September and wrapping up in Felixstowe, Suffolk on 8 September - with the aim of achieving future parity with the women’s equivalent, the Tour of Britain Women. 

The national governing body’s newly formed major events arm are leading the organisation with Rod Ellingworth acting as race director. Ellingworth was appointed to his role at British Cycling in March.

Full route details were recently announced for the race with more than 5,000 metres of elevation gain on the menu across the first two days of action in Scotland and northern England. The peloton will then head south with stages in South Yorkshire, the East Midlands and Northamptonshire before its conclusion in Suffolk. 

A two-time road world champion, Julian Alaphilippe is one of the most decorated cyclists of his generation. He has won Classics in Strade Bianche and La Flèche Wallonne, a Monument in Milan-San Remo and multiple stages of the Tour de France.

Last year, the Frenchman was on a new team, Tudor Pro Cycling, the first season he was at a squad that isn't Quick-Step.

Here are 21 things you probably didn't know about the swashbuckling Frenchman.

1. He is the only Frenchman to win two world road race titles, having claimed back-to-back rainbow jerseys in 2020 and 2021.

2. His father Jacques, known as Jo, was a musician and orchestra conductor. He died in June 2019, after a lengthy battle with illness.

3. By virtue of his musical upbringing, Alaphilippe is a talented drummer.

4. He has an eclectic music taste, and lists AC/DC, The Police and Sting among his favourite artists.

5. His younger brother, Bryan, was also a professional cyclist. He rode in the French Continental ranks for the Equipe Cycliste Armée de Terre and St Michel - Auber93, before retiring in March 2021, aged 25.

6. Alaphilippe began his career racing cyclo-cross and finished second at the Junior World Championships in 2010. He went on to win the French National Championships twice at under-23 level.

7. The Frenchman’s coach is his cousin, Franck, who serves as a trainer at Soudal Quick-Step. He has worked with Julian since the two-time world champion’s beginnings in the sport.

8. His partner is Marion Rousse, a former pro turned journalist, and now race director of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

9. Alaphilippe and Rousse have a son, Nino, who was born just 12 days before the 2021 Tour de France, where his father won the opening stage.

10. He has his own clothing range, aptly named ‘The Julian Alaphilippe Collection’, which offers branded attire in men’s, women’s and children’s ranges.

11. His social media accounts are registered under the moniker ‘Alafpolak’, a nickname of his. Speaking to L'Équipe in 2018, he said the nickname doesn’t come from anywhere and is nothing more than nonsense.

12. French cycling fans call him ‘Loulou’, a familiar form of his first name, Julian.

13. He wore the yellow jersey for 14 days at the 2019 Tour de France, where he won stages three and 13, the latter a rare individual time trial victory.

14. He won the King of the Mountains classification at the 2018 Tour de France, joining 22 other Frenchmen in achieving the feat, including Richard Virenque, Laurent Jalabert and Romain Bardet.

15. He dressed up as Robin Hood at the Tour of Britain in 2018, donning a feathered green hat at stage seven’s start in Nottinghamshire. He went on to win the overall classification at the race.

16. Though he has never won Liège-Bastogne-Liège, he has a special relationship with the Momument, and has started it more times than any other race (eight times, as of 2023).

17. In 2020, he celebrated prematurely at Liège-Bastogne-Liège and was pipped on the line by Primož Roglič. He ended up placing fifth, after being relegated for cutting across a rider in the sprint finish.

18. He was hospitalised after hitting a tree at high speed during the 2022 edition of Liège-Bastogne-Liège. It was later revealed that he suffered two broken ribs, a fractured shoulder blade and a collapsed lung, which left him sidelined for two months.

19. Alaphilippe’s most successful seasons came in 2018 and 2019, in both of which he claimed 12 race victories.

20. He made his debut at the Giro d’Italia this year, mixing his usual schedule up. It was a successful race, as he took his first win of the season on stage 12, completing the Grand Tour trilogy too.

21. His favourite movie genre is comedy, and he enjoys reading biographies. “It [the book] doesn’t need to be focused on an athlete or on a person who had a major role in history,” he said in an interview on Quick-Step’s website, “as long as it’s a good and insightful one.”

On Sunday, Tadej Pogačar’s onslaught in the Giro d’Italia continued as he built an almost untouchable advantage in the general classification battle by winning stage 15 in Livigno. 

The Slovenian now leads Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) by almost seven minutes, and that could well increase further in the coming days with more mountain stages to come. 

Pogačar was on another level as he hammered on the pedals as he continued on his path to cycling immortality. 

Away from his exploits in the the pink jersey, here are our five other takeaways from the second week of action at the Italian Grand Tour. 

Could Julian Alaphilippe ride the Tour?  

Julian Alaphilippe’s solo breakaway victory last Thursday captured the hearts of many cycling fans across the world. 

The former two-time road world champion spent a long day in the breakaway on the hilly stage 12 alongside Polti-Kometa’s Mirco Maestri as he went in search of his first WorldTour win in months. After he then dropped Maestri on the day’s final climb, Alaphilippe soloed to the line to take a memorable win. 

Alaphilippe was initially just scheduled to ride the Giro this year but, according to reports, that could now be about to change. 

L’Equipe reported late last week that Remco Evenepoel, Soudal Quick-Step’s great hope for overall victory at the Tour de France this July, has led the push for the 31-year-old to be included in the Belgian team’s Tour squad this summer. 

After months of misfortune, that would be some turnaround for Alaphilippe indeed. 

Milan is comfortably the best sprinter at the race 

Last week, we predicted that the sprint stages would continue to be the most competitive part of this Giro after the opening week saw multiple sprinters come out on top. 

But seven days on, we now know that barring any major incident or disaster in the final week, Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) will almost certainly run out the winner in the sprinter's competition. 

The Italian added two more victories to his tally last week and now has three wins to his name in this year’s Giro and has a comfortable lead in the ciclamino jersey competition. While Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike) was forced out of the race with illness last week, but it is hard to see anyone being able to match Milan’s power and strength in the closing metres of the flatter stages. 

In this kind of form, Milan would be a decent bet to triumph on the final day in Rome and add a fourth stage to his tally. 

The other GC contenders are in a race of their own

UAE Team Emirates won’t want to jump the gun a week early, but Tadej Pogačar’s team will be extremely confident that their man can get the job done and lift the Giro d’Italia trophy in Rome. 

Pogačar has been on another planet throughout the entire Giro. The queen stage to Livigno simply underlined that fact. 

Barring Jhonatan Narváez’s impressive effort on the opening day in Turin, few other riders have been able to live with the Slovenian once the road has gone uphill during the race and the rest of the podium contenders seem resigned to the fact that they cannot compete with him. 

Rather than blowing up, similarly to Ben O’Connor on the stage to Santuario di Oropa, the likes of Thomas have instead preferred to focus on their own pace and rhythm and consolidate their spot on the podium, as the Welshman did on the road to Livigno.  

Breakaway opportunities evaporate

As is the nature with men’s professional cycling, every superior performance in a Grand Tour setting nearly always draws comparisons with Eddy Merckx, otherwise known as the cannibal. 

Few riders can lay claim to being a worthy successor to the Belgian legend, although Tadej Pogačar’s insistence on winning as many stages possible during this Giro means he is probably the only one that genuinely can match Merckx. 

The Slovenian’s aggressive racing has laid waste to any opportunity of a breakaway win on several stages during this race and could continue into the final week. Pogačar seems to want to carve out one of the largest winning margins that the Giro has ever seen, and the four additional mountain stages in the third week are the perfect place to build that. 

Alaphilippe’s breakaway win in Fano could have been the final time we were treated to an unexpected victory during this race. 

Pogačar's win at all costs mentality will continue 

During the opening week of the race, Pogačar spoke of his willingness to win as many stages as possible during this Giro in order to pay back UAE Team Emirates. He made clear that the frustrations of other riders at him snapping up opportunities for them wouldn’t derail that goal. 

The two summit finishes, as well as the penultimate day with its double ascent of Monte Grappa, could see him on the attack once more. 

Pogačar regularly highlighted the race’s queen stage to Livigno as one that he particularly wanted to win, as he has often done with other iconic stages and one day races. After now achieving that, it’s hard to imagine him simply lying low for an entire week between now and lifting the trophy in Rome. 

Expect to see him going for glory on the slopes of Monte Grappa. 

Just a handful of months ago, Julian Alaphilippe had been written off by some. Since winning two consecutive road World Championships, the Frenchman had struggled to capture the form that saw him win in Imola in 2020, and Leuven a year later.

The 31-year-old seemed to be struck with the curse of the rainbow jersey, but that didn’t stop the critics from jumping on his misfortune, even those from within his own team. 

Only in February, Alaphilippe stayed dignified and silent when Quick-Step boss Patrick Lefevere suggested in the Belgian press that his wife, former pro and Tour de France Femmes race director Marion Rousse, was partly behind his poor form. 

Instead, he let his legs do the talking, and they answered his critics with an epic performance on Thursday at the Giro d'Italia as he became the 108th man to win stages in all three Grand Tours with victory on stage 12.

This was Alaphilippe back to his best and the kind of form that saw him regularly go toe-to-toe with Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel in Classics seasons gone by. It was full of panache and aggression, as he relished the Classics-style course, littered with short, sharp climbs.

After finding himself in the day’s breakaway, alongside dozens of others, he disappeared up ahead with Mirco Maestri (Polti Kometa) once the hilly course began to bite. The duo were alone for more than 120 kilometres of racing. But, according to Alaphilippe, it was never in his initial thinking to make his move with such a long way to the line. 

"I didn’t plan it," he said post race. "I was expecting a big group to be in the breakaway. I think first I had to help my teammates, who really controlled perfectly the first 60 kilometres. Afterwards, I was really focused to be in the front."

Alaphilippe worked tirelessly with his Italian breakaway compatriot, before distancing him with one venomous attack on the brutally steep final climb. 

"We went first in a big group, and then with Mirco Maestri together," he added. "I said to him, 'we go, we go, we go' he really deserved to win today. He was amazing. We collaborated super well."

In his Worlds winning pomp, Alaphilippe became known for his swashbuckling, energetic style, full of emotion and feeling. Before many of his victories, he’d tighten his shoes and shake out his legs before launching explosive attacks.

He was at it again on Thursday afternoon, tightening the BOA dials on his shoes before the gradients started to rise in the final kilometres of the day. 

"I believed in it, but until the last kilometre, I had to keep pushing full gas because I heard [Jhonatan] Narváez was close behind me," he explained. "It was my dream to win a stage in the Giro, and I did it. I’m really happy."

His stage win couldn’t have come at a better time given that Alaphilippe is in his contract year at Quick-Step. Reports have suggested that he could leave the Belgian team at the end of the season, but victory in Fano could mean a new offer suddenly finds its way to him.

At the start of the year, the 31-year-old told Cycling Weekly that he wasn’t even sure if he would ride on given his misfortune of late. 

"It’s a victory that does me an enormous amount of good," he said as he acknowledged the significance of becoming the 47th French stage winner at the Giro.  

"It is an important victory for me," he continued. "I’m thinking about my partner and my son, who have supported me a lot, recently and always. Also thank you to my whole team, who controlled the start of the stage today really well. I told them that it was a stage I had marked out, and I’m really glad to have managed it."

Prior to stage 12, Alaphilippe’s palmarès contained six individual stages and the mountains classification at the Tour de France, as well as a stint in the yellow jersey, and various accolades from some of cycling’s biggest one day races, including Milan-San Remo. 

It now contains a Giro d’Italia stage win. Proof that there’s life in the former rainbow jersey-wearer yet. 

Julian Alaphilippe stormed to a sensational victory on stage 12 of the Giro d’Italia in Fano after a long day in a two man breakaway with Mirco Maestri (Polti-Kometa).

After riding at a relentless pace all day, the Frenchman joined the select group of riders to have won stages in all three Grand Tours. Alaphilippe initially attacked from a huge breakaway, containing the likes of Jhonotan Narváez  (Ineos Grenadiers), before dispatching Maestri on the steep final climb. 

It was the first WorldTour win for the former two-time road World Champion since he won stage two of the Critérium du Dauphiné last year. Narváez took second with Quinten Hermans (Alpecin Deceuninck) grabbing third. 

Alaphilippe and Maestri attacked from the lead group with more than 120 kilometres left to race, but rarely showed signs of letting up. The Frenchman then tore away from Maestri on the brutal ramps on the short final climb before soloing to the line. 

EF Education-EasyPost’s Michael Valgren animated the chase behind, but was unable to keep tabs on Narváez and Hermans once they counter-attacked. 

Valgren was forced to settle for fourth on the day behind the leaders. 

Meanwhile, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) maintained control of the pink jersey.

How it happened

There was action from the off on stage 12, as multiple riders fought to get up the road and establish a breakaway. 

Several groups tried and failed to get ahead before eventually, a move finally stuck. The steep, hilly course was tailor made for climbers and puncheurs, and unsurprisingly the likes of Juanpe Lopez (Lidl-Trek), Attila Valter Visma-Lease a Bike), Michael Valgren (EF Education-EasyPost), and Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step) were amongst a huge initial breakaway. 

Pelayo Sánchez (Movistar) was in a second group on the road attempting to bridge across to the leaders. After already seeing the Spaniard get the better of him on stage six, Alaphilippe attacked from the lead group and was followed by Mirco Maestri (Polti Kometa). 

Alaphilippe and Maestri pushed on over the punchy terrain as the group behind them split up into two separate chase groups. The duo soon had a minute over the second group on the road and showed no sign of relenting. 

With 36 kilometres to go, Alaphilippe led Maestri to the final categorised climb of the day as the duo worked flawlessly together to maintain their lead. Two climbs remained to the finish as the leaders tore over the undulating terrain in between the hills. The Frenchman won the final intermediate sprint of the day at Mondolfo. 

The chase group behind the duo briefly made inroads into Alaphilippe and Maestri’s advantage before it extended out again on the punchy climbs that littered the final phase of racing. With 19 kilometres to go, the leaders were showing signs of fatigue 

With 11 kilometres to go, the final climb began and with one attack, Alaphilippe was gone. The Frenchman powered up the initial ramp before hitting the false flat that led into the final brutal incline. Behind him, Michael Valgren launched a huge attack in a bid to drop the rest of the chase group before Jhonatan Manuel Narváez and Quinten Hermans (Alpecin Deceuninck) countered and passed the Danish rider. 

Alaphilippe showed no sign of relenting, powering his way up the climb before slaloming down the technical descent towards the finish. The Soudal Quick-Step man held on to become the 47th French Giro stage winner as Narváez took second and Hermans came in third. 

Results

Giro d’Italia 2024, stage 12: Martinsicuro > Fano (193 km)

1. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Soudal Quick-Step, in 4:07:44
2. Jhonatan Narváez (Ecu) Ineos Grenadiers, at 31s
3. Quinten Hermans (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck, at 32s
4. Michael Valgren (Den) EF Education-EasyPost, at 43s
5. Christian Scaroni (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan, at same time
6. Matteo Trentin (Ita) Tudor Pro Cycling, 1:30
7. Simon Clarke (Aus) Israel-Premier Tech,
8. Gijs Leemreize (Ned) dsm-firmenich Post NL,
9. Mirco Maestri (Ita) Polti Kometa,
10. Benjamin Thomas (Fra) Cofidis, all at same time

General classification after stage 12

1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates, in 45:22:35
2. Daniel Martinez (Col) Bora-Hansgrohe, +2:40
3. Geraint Thomas (Gbr) Ineos Grenadiers, +2:56
4. Ben O'Connor (Aus) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale, +3:39
5. Antonio Tiberi (Ita) bahrain Victorious, +4-27
6. Romain Bardet (Fra) dsm-firmenich PostNL, +4-57
7. Lorenzo Fortunato (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan, +5:19
8. Filippo Zana (Ita) Jayco-AIUla, +5:23
9. Einer Rubio (Col) Movistar, +5:28
10. Thymen Arensman (Ned) Ineos Grenadiers, +5:52

The first week of this year’s Giro d’Italia is firmly in the rear view mirror and we’ve arrived at today’s first rest day in Naples. 

As many predicted beforehand, Tadej Pogačar’s debut Giro victory seems like it is becoming a foregone conclusion. Barring major incident or disaster, it’s already feels likely that the Slovenian will be the man celebrating on the top step of the podium in Rome. 

However, the race is still far from being boring with plenty of other stories developing in the opening week of racing, and with 12 stages still to come. 

Here are five things we learned from the opening week in Italy.  

The sprint stages are the most competitive part of this Giro 

While the battle for pink appears one-sided, the fight for the maglia ciclamino for the sprinters remains well and truly open. 

So far we’ve had three stages end in a bunch sprint for the line and we’ve seen three different sprinters get their hands in the air to celebrate. Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step), Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) and Visma-Lease a Bike’s Olav Kooij are the three fast men that have tasted victory so far. 

Milan leads the sprinters classification with 174 points with Kaden Groves (Alpecin Deceuninck) and Kooij in second and third respectively on 116 and 115 points. Milan could find that his lead is suddenly cut should Kooij win again or Groves grab a victory in the second week. 

The nature of the racing so far means that they are simply impossible to call and pretty much anyone is capable of victory.  

The only thing that will stop Pogačar might be Pogačar himself

As our news editor, Adam, touched on last week, it’s looking increasingly likely that the only man capable of stopping Tadej Pogačar’s charge to Giro victory is Tadej Pogačar himself. 

With a lead of 2:40 over second-placed Dani Martínez (Bora-Hansgrohe), it’s going to take more than a miracle to wrestle the pink jersey from his shoulders and based on current form, none of the GC riders present at this year’s Giro look like they’re at the level capable of making that a reality. 

For the balance of power in this year’s Giro to shift, it’s going to take one thing and that’s Pogačar cracking himself, which seems highly unlikely. The Slovenian has, however, cracked before. 

Pogačar dropped like a stone on the stage that finished on the Col du Granon at the 2022 Tour de France which resulted in Jonas Vingegaard soloing to victory, laying the foundations for his eventual overall win in Paris.

Otherwise it’s going to take other forms of misfortune, like a crash or mechanical, for Pogačar to come unstuck. But even in the face of adversity he seems to just end up winning anyway, as we saw on the climb to Santuario di Oropa on stage two.

The only other thing that could topple the Slovenian is the kind of daredevil racing and long range attacks that saw Chris Froome eventually win the Giro in 2018.

Unfortunately for the likes of Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers), it’s seems more likely to be Pogačar putting the hammer down and disappearing into the distance.

Narváez could be a real threat in the Olympics  

Coming into the Giro, Ineos made every effort to ensure that the spotlight stayed firmly away from Jhonatan Narváez. The Ecuadorian was reportedly in top form coming into the race and the team saw real potential in what the 27-year-old could achieve in Italy this month. 

The Ecuadorian went toe to toe with Pogačar in the hills around Turin on the opening stage before eventually dispatching the Slovenian in the final sprint for the line. Arguably, going head to head with the best bike rider in the world and winning was the bigger prize than pulling on the pink jersey at the end of the day. 

As if that wasn’t all enough, the Ineos Grenadiers rider was at it again on Sunday’s stage nine into Naples and went agonisingly close to a second victory in a week. His late attack proved once again that he has the legs and form this year to make himself a dark horse for the gold medal in the Olympics Road Race in Paris. 

The punchy circuit around the French capital is full of the short, sharp climbs that the Ecuadorian national champion thrives on, and so why not two wins for Ecuador in a row?

Julian Alaphilippe is still full of fight

Julian Alaphilippe is a rider who has been written off in recent years by some. Since winning two successive road world titles, the Frenchman has largely failed to match his form of old.

In his pomp, the 31-year-old was known for swashbuckling racing and a never say die attitude, but a combination of illness, injury and bad luck has got in the way since his last rainbow jersey triumph.

Alaphilippe is in his contract year at Quick-Step and will know that some big results are needed if he wants to stay put at the team he has called home for the last ten years. 

Although his performances in the first week of this year’s Giro suggest his luck could well be about to change. Alaphilippe has been a regular fixture in the breakaway across the first few stages, and very nearly ran out the winner on the gravel stage won by Pelayo Sánchez (Movistar). The Frenchman showed signs of the Alaphilippe of old as he crossed swords with Sánchez and Jayco-AIUla’s Luke Plapp. 

All the more impressive is that not long ago he said he had ridden the Classics season with a broken knee. Expect to see Alaphilippe fighting for stages once more as the race continues on Tuesday. 

Pogačar has further fine tuned his TT ability

Before the Giro got underway, Pogačar said that he was gradually growing more and more confident in races against the clock after spending a lot of time on his time trial bike during training. 

If his stage seven performance was anything to go by, that work has well and truly paid off. He was always going to be capable of pushing for the podium on the day, but toppling Filippo Ganna, even with the climb at the end, was eye-catching.

That’s not to say that the two-time Tour de France champion was weak in time trials before. Everyone knew his capabilities and his time trialling history, particularly at the 2020 Tour de France, but this was not the same.

Pogačar has clearly been working on time trialling, and it is an asset which could become more potent and deadly in the races still to come. 

Many of us will have been in the position of riding through an injury, or keeping quiet about a little niggle in the hope that it would go away. Few of us, however, would have fractured part of a knee and then managed to finish ninth at Milan-San Remo.

This has been Julian Alaphilippe's year to date, as the Soudal Quick-Step rider claimed to break part of his left knee, his fibula head located at the knee joint, according to an interview with Le Parisien this week.

Despite the broken knee, the Frenchman still managed to complete 11 race days after the crash at Strade Bianche, including all of Tirreno-Adriatico, and the longest race of the year, Milan-San Remo.

The reason for him keeping the injury a secret? He didn't want people to think he was making it up. Alaphilippe has faced loud criticism in the media, including from his own team boss, Patrick Lefevere, in recent years.

Since winning a second consecutive World Championships in 2021, he has won just four times, although that does include stages of Itzulia Basque Country and the Critérium du Dauphiné.

His injury goes some way to explain why he was off-colour at the cobbled Classics, finishing 70th at the Tour of Flanders, 7:43 behind the winner, Mathieu van der Poel.

It will also interrupt his Ardennes Classics campaign; the 31-year-old is a three-time winner of La Flèche Wallonne, and has come incredibly close to winning Liège-Bastogne-Liège on multiple occasions, but will not compete at those this year.

"I didn't want to say it because I didn't want people to think I was making something up. I suffered a lot from that fall in Strade Bianche," Alaphilippe told Le Parisien this week.

"My morale was damaged because I had good legs before and because it is a competition that I really enjoy. This fall was a big blow to me, and I had pain in my left knee.”

He had his knee scanned after San Remo, which explained the issue.

"The tests showed that there was a fracture in the head of the fibula," he continued.  "This explained why the pain wouldn’t go away. It was very annoying, but not something so unbearable.

"The doctors told me before the Flemish classics that the choice whether to race or not was up to me."

He said he now regrets the decision to keep racing. The Giro d'Italia is on his schedule too, but it is not known whether he will still ride this.

"It was the wrong decision to do that. In those tough races, you have to be 100 percent anyway. With my injury, that was impossible," he said. "I was motivated, and I didn't want to pass after all my efforts, but I should have taken care of myself."

It seems strange to think that Julian Alaphilippe is still only 31. It feels as if the Frenchman has been around forever, and almost belongs to a different era to that of Tadej Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel. His back-to-back World Championships victories feel longer than three years ago, possibly thanks to Covid time, and that run at the 2019 Tour de France even longer ago.

However, he is still here, speaking of wanting to get back to his best level, and wanting to fight with the best at whichever race he is sent to. This feels like a crucial year, after two seasons beset with illness, injury, and disappointment. Not just because it's his contract year with Soudal Quick-Step, but because it feels like he could be at a turning point. A successful year could encourage him to keep marching on, while another below par effort might do the opposite.

"To be honest, I took every season of my career like it’s the last one," Alaphilippe told Cycling Weekly and others at the Tour Down Under. "I never think about ‘f***, it’s my contract year’ or ‘oh, last year I won a lot so this year I don’t care.’ Every new season I started with grinta, like I won nothing before. I always think like this.

"To be honest, I don’t know where I will be next year, if I continue in the team or if I continue cycling, I don’t know."

Alaphilippe feels like a survivor from another era, perhaps because he was at Quick-Step before the Remco revolution began. His calendar this year reflects the new hierarchy at the team, with Evenepoel heading to the Tour de France and Alaphilippe to the Giro d'Italia. There is no room on an eight-man team looking to win the yellow jersey for a rider like the Frenchman, although he says it was his idea to go to Italy instead of France. You can see his logic.

"It's mostly a decision that came from myself, because a few years ago I said to my team that I want to go to the Giro one time in my career," he said. "This year, I want to come back to my best level. The goal is to be at 100% for the Flemish Classics, especially the Tour of Flanders, with the Giro after. It's nice to have new goals. 

"You shouldn't think that the Giro is easier than the Tour or the Vuelta. There are always guys at 100%, in every race. I know the Giro is one of the hardest races, as I have seen on television. We will have a strong team with a sprinter and a lot of opportunities."

You can see Alaphilippe triumphing up one of those punchy climbs so beloved of the Giro's organisers, maybe even a couple depending on the field. In a year in which Evenpoel, Pogačar, Primož Roglič and Jonas Vingegaard will all be going to the Tour, it might be a good idea to seek success elsewhere. He has triumphed on Italian soil before - at Tirreno-Adriatico, Milan-San Remo and Strade Bianche, so he is no stranger to victory on the peninsular.

He has been a stranger to consistent form in the last few years, with four wins coming since his last world title in 2021, but has proven that he still has the ability to win. His plan now is to make that a more regular occurrence. Sixth overall at the Tour Down Under might not scream world beater, but the Soudal Quick-Step rider stressed that he was happy with his performance in Australia, where he finished fourth on Willunga Hill and sixth on the Mount Lofty stage. It is January, after all.

"It was a really beautiful few weeks we had here and after," he said. "It will be the time to start in Europe for the Classics and a completely different mood and atmosphere and weather, but I think I am already happy now.

"I saw the result of a good feeling. Simply, I came here with the ambition to see how I feel and I was realistic with my ambition about results, because I knew what I did during the winter. I was surprised that I can fight with the best guys until the top of the climb, it is a good surprise, to be honest."

"I knew it would be difficult to win because the guys that win here, I know they train à bloc all winter since November and even October. I know where I am and it’s a good surprise to be there already."

Despite his struggles in 2022 and 2023, there was no big change in his approach to 2024, but he does sound like he is finally coming to a place where he is finding himself again. That's good for him and his team, but also good for cycling.

"I was in the mood to really fight, go in the red zone and really stay there," Alaphilippe said about his race up Willunga. "I never lost this spirit [in the past], but physically I [couldn't]. When I felt that I could not win, a lot of times I did efforts just to kill myself, because it was not funny for me to destroy myself when I knew I cannot win.

"I know myself and one year ago for sure, in this situation, I will feel directly I cannot win and I will attack or I will do two/three big efforts, explode and drop just to destroy myself."

"I did nothing crazy this winter, normal training, no big hours, no crazy intensity, because the most important thing for me was to build a good base and to improve from now to my goals."

One of his loudest critics in recent times has been Quick-Step boss Patrick Lefevere, who has not been happy with the return from his investment. To that end, the team parted ways with Alaphilippe's coach, Franck, his cousin, at the end of the year. However, Alaphilippe would not stoop to a war of words.

"I don't care [about the comments], I just do what I have to do," he said.

"I think now I am really busy, I give my best every day, I also know how professional I am, so I just do my job and he does his job. I think now he is quite busy and so am I, so if we have to talk together, we always do and the relationship is always ok."

Next stop for Alaphilippe is Opening Weekend and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad; if he can continue to fight in that red zone and train at his best, then we might see the 31-year-old crossing the line first a few more times in 2024. Then remember how good he still is, rather than was. 

It was prom night this week on the WorldTour. You remember your school prom, don’t you? The one where you got all dolled up with your mates, split a few pre-game Budweisers, and headed down to a local events hall - usually inside a two-star hotel - for a night of boozing, supervised by your teachers. 

For pro cyclists, it’s basically the same format, except they hold it inside a wind tunnel, apparently. 

You’ve probably already seen the photo: Specialized’s class of 2024. It was shared mercilessly across the socials this week. And we absolutely love it. 

It’s classy, quite clearly photoshopped, and made us nostalgic for that post-exams night of teenage revelry. Let me run you through the classmates. 

First there’s Jai Hindley. He’s the one who brought the Budweisers. He also brought a small tub of hair gel, and has spent 30 minutes coiffuring himself in the bathroom. 

Wedged between cool kids Lotte Kopecky and Demi Vollering is Primož Roglič. He told his mum he didn’t want to go. He doesn’t like the music, he said, and besides, he’s only just moved to this school, he barely knows anyone. 

His pleas were met with a blunt response. “Go make some friends, Primož.” So he went down to Moss Bros, rented a suit, and here he is, hands in his pockets, wishing he was at home on his Xbox. 

Julian Alaphilippe, by the way, is the only one who actually owns his suit. He got it for his 18th birthday, as well as a very smart watch you just have to see. 

In front of the Frenchman is Remco Evenepoel. He’s playing in the band. He’s a skilled percussionist, sat poised on his cajón, ready to drum out the rhythm to some Arctic Monkeys covers. Roglič doesn’t know any of the words. 

Finally there’s Kasper Asgeen. Lorena Wiebes, the saint that she is, has been put in charge of looking after him. At the drinks reception, the headmaster said it was strictly one glass of prosecco each, but Asgreen helped himself to more. He then called one of the teachers by their first name. 

Anyway… Elsewhere on social media this week, Geraint Thomas has been to the cinema, Katy Marchant stars in School of Rock, and the content keeps flowing out of Australia. 

1. Here they are: the class of 2024

2. You didn't really think they photographed all the riders together, did you? 

3. The afterparty never ends for showman Julian Alaphilippe

4. EF's remake is less school prom and more Teletubbies

5. Australians, please excuse our terrible Northern Hemisphere humour, but this gag never gets old

6. Crikey, mate!

7. Sam Welsford has picked up three wins so far at the Tour Down Under, and two extra arms

8. Don't mess with Mat Hayman

9. There are 22 fist bumps in this video. Who remembers when we used to bump elbows during Covid?

10. It looks like dsm-firmenich PostNL have been working on their lead-out train for Charlotte Kool

11. Introducing Arnaud de whee-Lie

12. Here's 6ft4 Alex Kirsch doing a Lidl bit of drafting

13. What did you make of the bath scene, Geraint? 

14. Cam Mason has great cyclo-cross skills, but even better taste in fizzy drinks

15. If Jack Black commentated on track cycling...

16. I like to think that if I ever won a European title, I'd celebrate with finger guns too

The elite men’s road race is always one of the showpiece events of the World Championships, and Sunday’s race in Glasgow is bound to be a spectacular and frenetic affair on the fast and technical city centre circuit.

Coming hot on the back of the recent Tour de France, Sunday’s race will be given an extra edge by a lot of the contenders carrying their form from the Tour into the event.

On paper, the road race looks like it’s very much one for the Classics specialists. The 271 kilometre course, which features ten laps of a fast and twisty 14-kilometre Glasgow finishing circuit, is widely expected to be hit by rain.

All of those factors combined will mean that in order to get on the podium, riders will need to be prepared to fight and battle for position once they enter the city centre after arriving from Edinburgh.

Remco Evenepoel will return to defend his title, although he will face stiff competition from all angles, including from two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar, who will arrive hungry for success after being defeated by Jonas Vingegaard once more at the Tour in July.

As well as Evenepoel and Pogačar, various Classics stars will line up for the race and be looking ahead to the circuits in Glasgow as the place to make their mark.

One notable absence in the field will be Great Britain’s Tom Pidcock. The Ineos Grenadiers rider is focussing on the mountain bike events later in the championships. Eritrea’s Biniam Girmay will also not be present due to injuries sustained at the recent Clásica San Sebastián.

In Pidcock’s absence, Great Britain will look to Fred Wright and Ben Turner as the team’s two protected riders in the battle for the rainbow jersey.

Here are Cycling Weekly’s eight picks for the elite men’s road race on Sunday. 

Wout van Aert (Belgium)

Belgium arrive in Glasgow with a squad brimming with talent for the men’s road race. It is simply overflowing with Classics stars, Grand Tour stage winners and riders of the calibre of Remco Evenepoel, who of course is the reigning world champion after his dominant display in Wollongong, Australia last year.

The lack of actual mountain type terrain on this year’s course suggests that it will be a tall order for Evenepoel to do the double. However, the Belgian have another card to play on the Classics style course. Wout van Aert.

Van Aert left the recent Tour de France early in order to attend the birth of his second child, although before he left, the Jumbo rider was regularly up the road and involved in various breakaways. The 28-year-old came second to Julian Alaphilippe in Imola three years ago, and will be more than ready to try go one step further this time out. 

Mads Pedersen (Denmark)

As a former winner of the rainbow jersey, Mads Pedersen knows exactly what it takes to land one of the most prestigious prizes in professional cycling.

Pedersen relishes gruelling races of attrition, and that’s exactly what the road race is set to be on Sunday. The Danish rider impressed in the recent Tour de France, taking a stage win in Limoges, and was regularly in the thick of the action in the punchier stages, so he absolutely has the form to thrive in Scotland.

It’s widely anticipated that the weather conditions won’t be favourable on Sunday with rain expected in Glasgow. Pedersen won in the pouring rain in Yorkshire four years ago, so will remain completely unfazed by the prospect.

With his strength and ability to race hard across all terrain, Pedersen will be able to follow any moves from the likes of Wout van Aert or Mathieu van der Poel on the technical city centre circuit. He also has the power to launch a solo move on the Montrose Street climb and will be tough to then reel back in.

Mathieu van der Poel (The Netherlands)

The Dutch superstar struggled with illness at the Tour, but still managed to be heavily involved in pretty much all of the stages won by Jasper Philipsen, his Alpecin Deceuninck teammate.

Other than his role in Philipsen’s leadout train, Van der Poel had a relatively quiet Tour by his high standards and therefore on paper should be fresh and ready for Glasgow. The 28-year-old had a scintillating spring campaign this year, picking up maiden victories at both Paris-Roubaix and Milan-San Remo, and has won countless other major one-day races during his career so far.

His ability in a one-day setting inevitably makes him a contender in a race such as this where the rider's raw power, strength and endurance will be tested along with their technical ability. Van der Poel beats most of the other potential challengers in all of those categories which makes him the outright favourite for victory on Sunday. 

Remco Evenepoel (Belgium)

Remco Evenepoel won the Clásica San Sebastián recently in the rainbow jersey and appears to be bang in form as Sunday draws near.

The Belgian has had a sensational period racing in the rainbow stripes and similarly to Pogačar, he has proven himself as both an astute racer in a one day setting as well as in a Grand Tour.

Evenepoel was simply untouchable in San Sebastián last weekend and will be tough to follow if he launches a long distance solo attack once the race enters the Glasgow circuits.

The only issue standing in Evenepoel’s way from a second consecutive world title is a potential battle for leadership once more in the Belgian camp. Evenepoel will be forced to share leadership with both Jasper Philipsen and Wout van Aert, although it's unlikely that will get in his way as he guns for a second world title.

He will also have one eye on the elite men’s time trial next week, but that won’t distract from the prestige of dispatching his rivals once more in the road race this weekend.  

Julian Alaphilippe (France)

As a two-time former world champion, Julian Alaphilippe is always a rider who should be considered a threat on a course such as the one the riders face on Sunday.

Since taking his second rainbow jersey in Flanders in 2021, Alaphilippe hasn’t quite hit the heights that he’s capable of, although it's worth noting that he has struggled with both injury and illness in recent months.

The effervescent Frenchman had a relatively underwhelming Tour de France, regularly getting into breakaway positions but failing to personally deliver a stage win for his Soudal Quick-Step team.

Nevertheless, this could play into Alaphilippe’s favour on Sunday and on his day, he is undoubtedly one of the best Classics riders currently operating in the WorldTour.

As well as victory at Milan-San Remo, Alaphilippe has a vast array of impressive results in a one-day setting on his palmares. This also includes three Flèche Wallonne victories and a win at the Clásica San Sebastián.

He is an astute racer, full of punch and panache, and could well fly under the radar to victory on Sunday and prove a few people wrong who have doubted him in recent months in the process. 

Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia)

Tadej Pogačar arrived in Scotland on the back of an up and down Tour de France, which eventually saw him finish as runner up to Jonas Vingegaard for the second successive year.

The Slovenian showed glimpses of his form at the French Grand Tour, but ultimately was unable to topple Vingegaard despite picking up two mountain top stage wins. With that in mind, it’s likely that the two-time Tour winner will line up on Sunday hungrier than ever to win and seize the rainbow jersey from the shoulders of Evenepoel.

Pogačar had a sensational spring which saw him add a Tour of Flanders victory to his already glittering palmares. The Slovenian won with a long range, scintillating attack on the Oude Kwaremont which completely blew all of his rivals out of the water. He then went on to add victories at both the Amstel Gold race and Flèche Wallonne.

His technical ability on the bike will mean that he can take some of the corners on the Glasgow circuit much quicker than others. The 24-year-old also has an explosive turn of speed in his locker which he could well put to good use on Sunday. He will almost certainly be in the picture for the podium.  

Christophe Laporte (France)

Jumbo-Visma’s Christophe Laporte will arguably line up in Edinburgh as France’s protected rider in the fight for the rainbow bands.

The 30-year-old Frenchman had a solid spring campaign for his trade team which saw him collect victories at both Gent-Wevelgem and Dwars door Vlaanderen. His victory in the latter was a superb display of tactical awareness and power, as he capitalised on hesitation in a lead group of riders before bridging across to them and powering away solo to victory.

Laporte’s stock has risen hugely since his move to the Dutch team from Cofidis, and as a result he’s rapidly become one of a select group of riders who regularly contests some of the biggest one day races in the calendar.

Laporte is capable of winning from a variety of scenarios. He has the power and ability to launch a solo attack from distance, but also has the speed to win a sprint from a reduced group. He won the sprint for second behind Evenepoel in Wollongong last year and will be ready and waiting to pounce if others hesitate in the closing stages on Sunday.  

Alberto Bettiol (Italy)

Alberto Bettiol will arrive as co-leader for Italy alongside Tudor Pro Cycling’s new signing Matteo Trentin.

The Italian duo aren’t usually in the same ballpark as Evenepoel, Van der Poel and Van Aert on this type of course, although anything can happen in a road race such as this. Bettiol has already ridden both the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France this year and went close to victory on a few occasions proving that his form is building nicely.

An impressive showing at the Clásica San Sebastián underlined his credentials as a proven racer, and he tested Evenepoel when they went on the attack in the Basque country.

Bettiol has a solid turn of speed and a big engine. He can also more than handle punchy climbs like the 7% Montrose Street and will be able to follow moves from some of the bigger favourites. The Italian won the Tour of Flanders in 2019 and if others have an off day, he could find himself well in contention in Glasgow. 

Best of the rest

As well as the likes of Van Aert, Van der Poel and company, plenty of other riders could find themselves in a potential race winning position this weekend.

Neilson Powless (USA) has rapidly improved in a one-day setting and will relish the technical course. Montrose Street may not be long enough for him to make a difference, but he could still find himself in the race winning move at the end.

Michael Matthews (Australia) has the punch and tenacity to thrive but didn’t finish the Klasikoa last weekend. Matthews won a stage at the Giro earlier this year and if he has the form, could potentially challenge.

Fred Wright (Great Britain) has already impressed in a one-day setting this season and finished in the top ten at the Tour of Flanders. He doesn’t have the power of the likes of Van der Poel but has the resilience and determination to fight for victory.

Uno-X’s new signing Magnus Cort (Denmark) loves a hilly and up and down race. If Pedersen doesn’t have the form to contest the win then Cort is more than capable of stepping up for Denmark.

Dylan van Baarle (The Netherlands) is an industrious rider, and if Van der Poel should fail then Van Baarle can follow moves before potentially launching a solo attack. The Dutchman did after all finish second to Julian Alaphilippe in Flanders in 2021.  

Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step) sprinted to his first WorldTour victory in over a year on Monday, claiming stage two of the Critérium du Dauphiné in La Chaise-Dieu. 

The win marked a "promising" return to form for the two-time road world champion, who rounded EF Education-EasyPost’s Richard Carapaz in the finale, and held off the Ecuadorian to the line. 

Metres before the victory was guaranteed, Alaphilippe sat up in his saddle and gestured down towards the floor with his palms. Tranquille, was the message. The Frenchman is back. 

"It was a difficult victory to go after, but it feels good because these last few months have been long,” he said post-race. “I stayed patient, I worked hard and now I’m back to winning ways.”

For Alaphilippe, 2022 marked a season fraught with crashes and injuries. His last WorldTour triumph came at Itzulia Basque Country in April, before he was hospitalised at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and withdrew from September's Vuelta a España with a dislocated shoulder.

Victory earlier this year at the 1.Pro-ranked Faun-Ardéche Classic brought hope for the Frenchman, and his win at the Dauphiné - a career third - proved his calibre ahead of next month's Tour de France. 

“I surprised myself,” he said. “We set out with the goal to set up a sprint for Ethan Vernon, and if it was too difficult for him, then we had Florian [Sénéchal], or even Andrea Bagioli or me - I know I can do a decent sprint, even if it’s been a little while since I’ve found myself in the situation.”

However, with his team-mates absent in the finale, the Soudal Quick-Step rider had to react quickly. “I had good legs, I saw that everyone was á bloc, and I saw the finish line approaching, so I started my effort at the right moment," he said. 

“You can’t dream much bigger than winning a stage of the Dauphiné. I told myself before I came here that if I won a stage, I’d be really happy, and voilá, I’ve done it, on the second day. I can be more relaxed for the rest of the week, but still give my all every day.”

What does the victory mean for the upcoming Tour de France? “It’s always promising,” Alaphilippe smiled. 

Stage two brought a spattering of categorised climbs, with a pairing of two third-category ascents, followed by two category fours. Victor Campenaerts (Lotto Dstny) and Kenny Elissonde (Trek-Segafredo) held on as dogged survivors of the early breakaway, but the duo were reeled in with 10km to go, when Alpecin-Deceuninck’s Tobias Bayer launched a counterattack. 

The Austrian’s move, though, was short-lived. Led by Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard, the peloton hurtled towards the line, where Alaphilippe proved to be the strongest. Carapaz finished second, Natnael Tesfatsion (Trek-Segafredo) came third, while race leader Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma) trailed the podium in fourth.

Alaphilippe now sits second in the general classification, level on time with yellow jersey-wearer Laporte. 

The week after a Grand Tour is usually a bit of a fallow one, and this has been the case in the days following the Giro d'Italia, as everyone decompresses and tries to work out what to do with their time now they can't watch cyclists struggling in the rain in Italy.

The less said about a rather tepid Giro the better - the last word goes to Ed Pickering of Rouleur, who wrote: "It’s one thing having suspense to the end; it’s another to kill the racing for two and a half weeks in order to get it." But it's fine, because we can quickly move on.

The Critérium du Dauphiné is here to take your attention away from Sunday, then it will be the Tour de Suisse, and then it's practically time for the Tour de France, just a month away.

A fallow week it might have been, but that does not mean the social media machine stops - it never stops. First, there was the wrapping up to go with the end of the Giro; it ended with a heartwarming moment as Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) helped his old friend Mark Cavendish (Astana-Qazaqstan) to his final stage with at the Italian Grand Tour. Cue pandemonium on Twitter.

Also this week, Trek-Segafredo announced it will be known as Lidl-Trek from the end of the month, so that meant lots of fun with brightly coloured kits and products from the budget German supermarket chain. Julian Alaphilippe showed off his unusual training methods ahead of the Tour, Chiara Consonni had fun at RideLondon, and Pierre Rolland lost a bike to the depths. All this and much, much more.

1. Mark Cavendish was rather happy to get his first win of 2023, and his final ever Giro d'Italia stage win, at the last opportunity

2. Some of the thanks has to go to Geraint Thomas, who helped an old mate out. Cycling is pretty simple sometimes.

3. Geraint Thomas was very gracious in defeat to Primož Roglič, as is the other Geraint Thomas on Twitter

4. Ryan Gibbons of UAE Team Emirates didn't have much riding on the penultimate stage of the Giro, so could enjoy his cable car ride

5. Not having a good time the day before was Carlos Verona, who got taken out by an AG2R Citroën car while in the break on stage 19...

6. Meanwhile, Marc Madiot gave up the day job to help his Groupama-FDJ team out

7. She might not have won a stage, but Chiara Consonni had fun in Essex at the RideLondon Classique

8. Also having fun was Pfeiffer Georgi, who helped her teammate Charlotte Kool to two stage wins and the overall at RideLondon

9. Julian Alaphilippe and Marion Rousse are one of cycling's super couples, and the Soudal Quick-Step man and Tour de France Femmes director have a cool way of spending time with their child

10. Derek Gee had a standout debut Grand Tour, and it's good to see him celebrated

11. Poor Pierre Rolland - it's never nice to lose a bike. You don't have to understand French to see what happens here

12. Nope, this isn't anything crude, but a celebration of Richard Carapaz's first pro win for EF

13. Charlie Quarterman is missing his friends from the Giro

14. It's Lidl time. Is Richard Carapaz secretly riding for the new Lidl-Trek?

15. Elynor Backstedt-Calvert is already ready for the German supermarket chain...

16. If the kit looks like this, I will be delighted

17. However, Mads Pedersen, graphic designer, has other ideas

18. Peter Sagan, four weeks away from his final Tour de France, is very much doing his own thing. Yeehaw.

19. Finally, happy Pride month.

Tadej Pogačar is to return to racing at the Amstel Gold Race on Sunday, seeking to add yet another new race to his palmarés. Meanwhile, two-time former world champion Julian Alaphilippe is to miss both Amstel and Flèche Wallonne due to a knee injury he picked up at the Tour of Flanders.

UAE Team Emirates' Pogačar has not raced since he won the Flanders ten days ago, and the Amstel Gold Race will just be the latest target of his mixed season; he began with stage race wins at the Ruta del Sol and Paris-Nice before moving onto one-day races. Fourth at Milan-San Remo and third at the E3 Saxo Bank Classic were the precursor to his historic victory at the Tour of Flanders. 

Now, he is heading for the hillier Classics, with Amstel the warmup to Flèche Wallonne and then Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

“The spring has already been a big success for us but we’re hungry to come to the Ardennes classics and take home a big result, starting with Amstel,” Pogačar said. “It’s a race I’ve only done once but I know it’s a long, hard parcours with lots of climbing so we need to be ready for a tough race.”

He will be the only one of the 'big three' at Amstel, with former winners Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) both opting to skip this race. In fact, the two great rivals will not race again until the Tour de Suisse in June, ahead of the Tour de France.

Pogačar has only raced Amstel once before, when he DNFed in 2019, in what became his breakout year. The hilly race should suit the Slovenian. His best result at Flèche is ninth, in an odd low for someone as prolific at him, while he won Liège in 2021.

“We have seen riders who can win Amstel Gold Race and Liège and win the Tour [de France]. With two peaks, it’s possible to prepare for the classics, and then recover, and then have a big chance at the Tour,” UAE Team Emirates sports director Fabio Baldato said. “We saw last year that he likes the classics. We are excited to go back there with him.”

“Of course, Tadej wants to win the Tour again. We made an analysis of what happened last year in the Tour, what might have been a mistake, and what we can do better in the Tour. Tadej wants to win all the races, not just the Tour.”

Alaphilippe to miss Ardennes beginning

Once the overwhelming favourite for the Ardennes Classics, Soudal Quick-Step's Alaphilippe has been forced out of the Amstel Gold Race and Flèche Wallonne due to a knee injury he picked up at Flanders.

There are also doubts over his participation in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, which takes place a week on Sunday.

Cyclingnews reported on Wednesday morning that the French two-time world champion is in doubt for the fourth Monument of the season after injury problems. It is a race he has almost won on three separate occasions, including in 2020 when he celebrated too early and was beaten by Primož Roglič on the line.

Last year, Alaphilippe crashed horrifically at La Doyenne, which affected him for the rest of his season.

Quick-Step will have defending champion Remco Evenepoel in its squad for Liège, which will be the first contest between Pogačar and Evenepoel this season, and possibly their only matchup ahead of the World Championships in August.

Belgian cycling legend Philippe Gilbert has praised Soudal Quick-Step’s Kasper Asgreen ahead of this Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix, and believes he can continue to build on his form at the ‘Hell of the North’.

Speaking to Cycling Weekly, Gilbert- a former winner of both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix - explained that he was impressed by Asgreen’s Ronde van Vlaanderen performance, and believes it’s a good sign ahead of the final cobbled Monument of the Spring.

“Asgreen had a great race, of course,” Gilbert said. “After the huge crash happened because of the Bahrain rider, the race was finished for Lampaert and Alaphilippe. They were caught in the crash and suffered from it, and they never recovered.”

Coming into the Tour of Flanders, Soudal Quick-Step had struggled for form throughout the current Classics campaign.

In a press conference before ‘De Ronde’, Patrick Lefevere, the team’s general manager, called for the likes of Julian Alaphilippe, Kasper Asgreen and their teammates to “save the team’s honour”.

After spending much of the day in the breakaway before ultimately finishing seventh, Asgreen put in a solid performance which would have eased some of the pain amongst the camp after the team failed to make much of an impact this Spring on what was once their playground.  

“I talked to him [Asgreen] after the finish,” Gilbert added. “After the crash, all the pressure was on him. It was great that he could still manage to get away with the group that he did, and get his chance to be in the position to win.”

“I know that when you get deep in the final of either race, your legs are speaking more than anything else.”  

Meanwhile, Jumbo-Visma’s Wout van Aert will be able to call upon the support of last year’s Roubaix winner Dylan van Baarle on Sunday.

Having another strong teammate to rely upon will be welcome dby Van Aert, after he slipped out of contention during Flanders after the Kruisberg climb.

Gilbert explained that despite Jumbo-Visma’s dominance this Spring, he feels that Van Aert is racing more conservatively compared to his 2022 Spring campaign. On Opening Weekend last year, Van Aert began his season with a scintillating Omloop Het Nieuwsblad win.

“He’s there, and he still wins like at E3, and is having a great season,” Gilbert said. “But I don’t think he’s the Van Aert that we’re used to seeing. Like when he won last year at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, he dropped everyone else, and was taking time on ten guys behind him. He was just gaining more time during every kilometre.”

“Now you can see that he’s counting his efforts a bit more, and things like that.”
Watch Legend: Philippe Gilbert on GCN+ via the GCN+ App, Smart TV or any web browser. Philippe will be providing in-race analysis from the back of a motorbike throughout Eurosport GCN coverage of the Grand Tours, available live and on demand (territory restrictions apply). 

Before the 107th edition of the Tour of Flanders gets underway, three names have been on everyone's lips as the potential winners of this year’s Ronde van Vlaanderen.

Wout van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogačar.

The same trio looked head and shoulders above the rest of the field at the recent E3 Saxo Classic won by Van Aert, but that doesn’t mean that someone can’t burst from the pack to spring a major surprise in the outskirts of Oudenaarde on Sunday.

As previous editions have taught us, the Tour of Flanders can be a chaotic race, where things don’t quite go as planned. The route and cobbled Bergs occasionally throw up late twists, and sometimes things go right down to the wire as we saw last year.

Ahead of the action, Cycling Weekly has already looked at the five men’s and women’s favourites for the win.

Here are five potential dark horses for the men’s title this weekend.  

Søren Kragh Andersen (Alpecin-Deceuninck)

Similarly to Christophe Laporte at Jumbo, Kragh Andersen is the not so secret weapon at Alpecin-Deceuninck, and will provide an excellent foil to Mathieu van der Poel when things get going on Sunday.

While he’s yet to win a major Classic, the Danish rider has consistently been a threat in some of cycling’s major one-day races, including at the past three editions of Milan-San Remo where he’s achieved three consecutive top ten finishes. After finishing fifth in San Remo a few weeks ago, Kragh Andersen managed ninth at the E3 Saxo Classic, before a crash took him out of contention at Gent-Wevelgem.

Speaking to the media on Thursday, the Dane referred to himself as a major “dark horse” for Flanders, and he has past form to back that up. Kragh Andersen won two stages of the 2020 Tour de France, launching powerful long range attacks from a breakaway which nobody could answer.

If Van der Poel is unable to separate himself from Van Aert and Pogačar on Sunday, expect Kragh Andersen to launch a last-gasp move as Alpecin looks to ensure glory at all costs. 

Neilson Powless (EF Education-Easy Post)

America’s Neilson Powless is fast becoming a one day specialist, and has sneaked two top eight finishes in major Monuments in recent years.

Earlier this week he was in the thick of the action during his debut on the Belgian cobbles, taking third at Dwars door Vlaanderen behind a rampaging Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma). Combining Wednesday's result with seventh at Milan-San Remo suggests the form is there.

Former Flanders winner Alberto Bettiol, Mikkel Honoré and Owain Doull will also provide the American with plenty of firepower to keep him in position over the various Bergs along the route, and in contention with the trio of favourites.

If Powless gets the jump on the final ascent of the Paterberg, he could spring a big surprise in the Jumbo-Visma, UAE Team Emirates and Alpecin-Deceuninck camps in Oudenaarde. 

Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious)

Labelling Matej Mohorič as an outsider for Flanders may seem surprising, although the Slovenian is yet to find the form this spring that saw him win Milan-San Remo last year.

The Slovenian has managed some solid results in the Classics this year, but has only managed to break into the top three on one occasion at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. Nevertheless, Mohorič has the raw power and strength needed to get over the cobbled climbs that feature in Flanders, and if everything goes to plan, he could well be in contention in the finale.

His best result at Flanders to date is 21st, but if anyone is going to catch out the trio of pre-race favourites, then it's him. 

Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step)

Just like the rest of his Soudal Quick-Step team, Julian Alaphilippe has massively struggled for form this spring, and hasn’t managed to hit his past level which saw him become world champion on two separate occasions.

The Frenchman started in style by winning the Faun-Ardèche Classic, although was unable to kick on from that point. 43rd at Strade Bianche was a huge disappointment, but 11th at Milan-San Remo was a slight progression in form. Throughout recent months, the huge weight of expectation at Quick-Step won’t have helped Alaphilippe, and he’s also had to deal with regular public criticism from Patrick Lefevere. 

Philippe Gilbert, a former Monument winner in the Belgian team’s colours even recently suggested that Alaphilippe could benefit from a move elsewhere to recapture his race winning form.

With all of his doubters circling, Alaphilippe may well come out swinging on Sunday, and look to silence those around him. After his crash when in a race-winning position a few years ago, Alaphilippe has a score to settle with Flanders.

It would be quite something if he was to return to form by winning ‘De Ronde’ on Sunday. 

Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo)

Pedersen and his fellow teammate and Classics star Jasper Stuyven are just two riders who have suffered at the hand of Jumbo-Visma this spring.

Although Pedersen in particular is one rider who the likes of Van der Poel will be wary of, and certainly won’t want with them when the action kicks off in Flanders. Coming into the race, the Dane has accrued two consecutive fifth place finishes at Gent-Wevelgem and Dwars door Vlaanderen respectively, clearly showing that he has the form to challenge in the upcoming two Monuments.

As a former world champion, and Ronde runner-up in 2018,  he won’t fear the trio of pre-race favourites, nor the tough parcours on the menu. If Pedersen can muscle his way into a select group of leaders on Sunday, he has the raw power and physicality to launch an attack, then see it through to Oudenaarde. 

Philippe Gilbert, former road world champion as well as Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix winner, believes that Soudal Quick-Step’s Julian Alaphilippe would benefit from a change of team in the coming years.

Speaking to Cycling Weekly at Warner Bros. Discovery’s start of cycling season launch event, Gilbert explained that a fresh start, and new challenge could be key to helping Alaphilippe recapture his past form which brought him so much success including two road world titles.

“Of course, it’s already been a long time that he’s been there,” Gilbert said. “It’s already almost ten years. So a long, long time, and maybe it’s good to see other things.”

Most of Gilbert’s success came in the colours of the then Quick-Step Floors team, although the Belgian moved on to sign for Lotto-Soudal for the 2020 season. Gilbert then rode for Lotto-Soudal until his retirement at the end of last year.

“I was the first one to do the same, you know, because it’s always good to change,” Gilbert added. “It’s a new challenge, you see new people, you see new methods of training, a new method of nutrition, new material. So I think it’s always good to change after a while, yeah.”

Former two-time world champion Alaphilippe began the current season in impressive style by winning the Faun-Ardèche Classic. However, he then finished a disappointing 43rd at Strade Bianche, before finishing eleventh at Milan-San Remo. Alaphilippe then abandoned the recent E3 Saxo Classic due to illness.

In the meantime, both Alaphilippe and his teammate Kasper Asgreen- a previous winner of the Tour of Flanders- have been subject to strong criticism from Soudal Quick-Step’s general manager Patrick Lefevere in the Belgian press.

Lefevere has said that Alaphilippe in particular could leave the Belgian team if he was “tired of the environment”.

Gilbert, who is currently working as a racing pundit for Eurosport GCN+ for 2023, explained that he believes criticising underperforming riders in the media is not the right way to motivate them. 

“When you’re not good, you know you’re not good you know,” Gilbert said. “When you get criticism it’s then having a negative effect. So to me, it’s a mistake to speak like this in the media at that moment.”

Alaphilippe will share Quick-Step’s leadership duties at this afternoon's Dwaars door Vlaanderen, a race which Lefevere and other team management will have earmarked as a must-win to save their disappointing Classics campaign.

If the team are to regain their past Classics strength, Gilbert believes a new direction is needed in terms of recruitment in the off-season.

“Their only chance to improve is to sign different riders for next year,” Gilbert said. “I think Patrick knows this, and that’s why he’s realistic about their chances. It’s a cycle you know, they’re down right now, but maybe they’ll come back up. For the moment they are down in the Flemish Classics group you know.”

“They’ve definitely changed their mentality now and invested more around Remco [Evenepoel] which is more for the hillier Classics and stage races.”

Watch the 2023 cycling season live on Eurosport, discovery+ and GCN+

Many of the greatest male Spring Classics contenders will be heading to Italy in the coming days ahead of Strade Bianche on Saturday. All eyes will be on the likes of 2021 champion Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers), two of the biggest favourites in the absence of Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) who is sitting out the race due to illness and defending champion Tadej Pogačar. 

Van Aert was originally due to start his 2023 season at Strade Bianche, but will now delay entering the fray until Tirreno-Adriatico which begins a few days later. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), the defending champion after his 2022 victory, also won’t be present this year due to racing Paris-Nice which also begins in early March.

Strade Bianche is famous for its 11 gravel sectors, or sterrato, which make for 63 kilometres of spectacular racing in the 184 kilometre long event. During the last few years the race has been packed full of drama sparked by stunning and brutal attacks from both Van der Poel and Pogačar on the way to both of their wins.

Along with the gravel, the riders face a series of short, steep hills through the breathtaking scenery featuring rolling fields and vineyards meaning the course suits puncheur style riders who have the explosiveness to launch attacks across the varying terrain, and the power to make them last. 

We’ve picked eight of the best to keep an eye on, who are all equally capable of landing the 2023 Strade Bianche title on Saturday.
 

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 

After taking one of the most memorable Strade Bianche victories in recent years, Mathieu van der Poel needs very little introduction to fans of the Italian Classic. 

Back in 2021, Van der Poel simply tore his rivals to shreds while wearing the Dutch National Champions jersey, launching a violent attack on the final gravel sector which only Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) and Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step) could follow. However, an even more savage attack was still to come. 

Once the trio had entered the streets of Siena, Van der Poel launched a blistering final move on the iconic Via Santa Caterina climb producing 1,300 watts in the process. Alaphilippe, who is normally capable of similar moves, was left stunned as the Dutchman sailed into the distance to take a resounding win. 

Van der Poel will be making his 2023 road debut on Saturday and will no doubt want to start with a bang. 

Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers)

Tom Pidcock has begun the 2023 road season in excellent form, and was right in the thick of the action at the recent Omloop Het Nieuwsblad where he finished in fifth place. Prior to the Classics getting underway, Pidcock rode an impressive race at the Volta ao Algarve in Portugal taking the win on stage four, beating João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) on a punchy climb in the process.

On paper, there isn’t a Classic more better suited to Pidcock’s attributes than Strade Bianche. The Ineos man possesses the technical ability to survive the various gravel sectors where his cyclo-cross and mountain bike background will shine through. Pidcock also has the speed, acceleration and tenacity to get away from his rivals on the climbs.

If a bunch featuring Pidcock arrives at the foot of the Via Santa Caterina all together, the Leeds-born rider will be extremely tough to beat on an uphill dash for the line. 

Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step)

The two-time former World Champion got his Spring campaign off to a flying start with victory at the Faun-Ardèche Classic in France last weekend. Alaphilippe out-sprinted fellow Frenchman, David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) after they distanced themselves from a smaller group of riders with just under 30 kilometres remaining.

Alaphilippe is yet another former winner of Strade Bianche, and is exactly the type of rider who thrives here. His bike handling skills are superb, and he possesses a phenomenal ability to launch violent attacks when the road goes uphill that leave other riders trailing in his wake. As well as winning in 2019, Alaphilippe also finished as runner up to Van der Poel in 2021.

He also has a score to settle with Strade Bianche after spectacularly crashing out last year on the longest gravel sector of the race. With the burden of the Rainbow Jersey no longer on his shoulders, watch out for the Soudal Quick-Step puncheur on Saturday. 

Tiesj Benoot (Jumbo-Visma)

Without the presence of Wout Van Aert in his team, all eyes will be on Benoot for Jumbo-Visma in Italy this weekend. After winning Strade Bianche in 2018, Benoot knows exactly what it takes to get the job done on the white gravel roads.

The Belgian has started the Spring Classics in excellent form, winning Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne on Opening Weekend and was in the heart of the action when his teammate, Dylan van Baarle, took the victory at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. 

Benoot is an out and out Classics rider. The man from Ghent may lack the raw power of the likes of Van Aert, but his lighter build and climbing ability means that if he’s kept out of trouble, he should be able to contest the victory once more.

Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates)

Belgian Tim Wellens has moved to pastures new with UAE Team Emirates for 2023, and briefly got up the road at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad during Opening Weekend. 

Wellens is always ready to go on the offensive, and has finished inside the top 20 on three separate occasions at Strade Bianche with his best result being a third place finish in 2017. The Belgian possesses a varied skill set as a bike rider, and typically thrives on punchy terrain featuring short but sharp climbs, typical of the route of the Italian Classic. 

While the likes of Pidcock, Van der Poel and Alaphilippe watch each other on Saturday, Wellens is exactly the type of rider capable of capitalising and catching them all unawares, making him very much a dark horse for victory.
 

Quinn Simmons (Trek-Segafredo)

Not every team has the fortune of possessing a race winning star in their squad, although Trek-Segafredo will hope they have one in the form of young American Quinn Simmons.

Simmons also has past form at Strade Bianche, finishing in seventh last year behind a rampant Pogacar. The 21-year-old has all the required bike handling skills you need to get around on the dirt roads and is a real livewire on two wheels.

While Simmons doesn’t possess the same raw power as the likes of Van der Poel, he isn’t afraid to attack from distance, and if he’s allowed to slip up the road in a breakaway, he’ll be immensely difficult to reel back in. 

 Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious) 

It’s likely that Bahrain Victorious will arrive in Siena with Pello Bilbao as their leader, although Matej Mohorič will provide an outstanding alternative on the sterrato if Bilbao finds himself in difficulty.

Mohorič is fast becoming a proven Classics star, and grabbed his first Monument title with a sensational ride at Milan-San Remo last year. Unlike his team mate Bilbao, the Slovenian hasn’t yet recorded a top ten finish in Siena, but he has all the ability you need in order to do the business here with the parcours suiting him to perfection.

Mohorič isn’t known for his climbing prowess, but he has a huge engine and will be able to stick to the all out favourites like glue. If he gets the jump from distance on his rivals, he has the power and tenacity to then see a huge attack through to the end. His two Tour de France stage wins are solid proof of that. 

Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-EasyPost)

Like Mohorič, Alberto Bettiol is another decent outside bet capable of outfoxing the big three favourites of Alaphilippe, Pidcock and Van der Poel here.

The Italian is an all out powerhouse, and won the Tour of Flanders back in 2019 so has all that it takes for another big result. He also finished fourth at Strade Bianche in 2020 behind Wout van Aert. Not only that, but these are the EF Education-Easy Post rider’s home roads. Bettiol grew up in the region, riding on Tuscany’s gravel tracks on a regular basis before turning professional.

He relishes short, punchy climbs and can pack a fast finish. If anyone can upset the favourites in Siena, then it certainly could be him.

The outsiders

Aleksey Lutsenko (Astana Qazaqstan), Greg van Avermaet (AG2R Citroën Team), Rui Costa (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty), Aleksandr Vlasov (BORA-Hansgrohe), Davide Formolo (UAE Team Emirates), Ruben Guerreiro (Movistar) can all lay claim to a decent shot if things go their way. But often at Strade it's the big guns that contest the finish, such is the selectiveness of the course.

By Julian Alaphilippe’s standards, 2022 was an annus horribilis. 

The two-time world champion recorded two wins - at the Tour of the Basque Country and the Tour de Wallonie - in a season fraught with crashes and injuries. 

When the time came to defend his road world title in September, the Frenchman couldn’t even break into the top 50. The rainbow bands went to Belgium and his Soudal Quick-Step team-mate Remco Evenepoel. 

The winter break couldn't come sooner - a chance to store away the bike and hit reset.

“After the races in Italy last season, I really switched off from the world of cycling,” Alaphilippe told the media in a press conference on Tuesday. “I took some time for myself.” 

Two years in the rainbow jersey, he explained, had taken their toll. 

“When you have the jersey on your shoulders, it’s harder to live,” he said. “It’s a bit long to explain. Winning the rainbow jersey was my dream, and winning it twice was one of the most beautiful moments of my career.

“When you have the jersey and you’re having a difficult season, be that through injury or crashes or other things, you’re not really where you want to be, you’re below what people are expecting of you. Then it becomes harder and harder.” 

In April last year, the 30-year-old was hospitalised after careering into a tree during Liège-Batogne-Liège. He suffered two broken ribs, a broken scapula and a punctured lung, which left him sidelined for two months. 

He returned to winning ways in July at the Tour de Wallonie, before a bout of Covid struck him down. Then, at the Vuelta a España, Alaphilippe had to call off his support duties early, abandoning the race with a dislocated shoulder on stage 11. 

“I don’t want to pin the bad times I went through last year on the jersey, not at all. I think the jersey did me good and reminded me of what I had achieved. Now, though, it’s time to move forward.” 

This year, disguised in the ordinary marine blue of his trade team Soudal Quick-Step, the Frenchman is upbeat about rediscovering his freedom on the road. 

“I think this is one of the first seasons, if you compare to the last few seasons before, that I feel so free and relaxed,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s because of [not wearing] the rainbow jersey or a good winter, but I feel really relaxed.

“No longer having the jersey is going to allow me to get back some of the freedom that I had before winning it. And I need it after these two seasons.” 

What advice, then, would he give to Evenepoel, his successor as world champion? “Carry on as you are. Enjoy yourself. Give everything for your goals.

“It’s important for me to never forget that feeling of joy," Alaphilippe continued. "Sometimes, with all the expectations and the pressure of the jersey, you end up forgetting about it, and you mustn’t. I don’t think he’ll have that problem, though.”

Morning all, Tom Thewlis here bringing you all the essential news in the world of cycling on this cold but sunny Wednesday morning. 

It's 21 December and Christmas is around the corner. Are you out riding your bike today? Or are you scrolling through the news, counting down the hours at work? 

Either way, get in touch with me via Twitter or email: tom.thewlis@futurenet.com and let me know what you want to know about today in cycling!

Key Developments

- 09:25- Julian Alaphilippe to miss the Flemish Opening Weekend once more. 
- 09:52- Caleb Ewan confirmed for Milan-San Remo.
- 10:43- B & B Hotels-KTM not registered as a team for 2023 with French National Cycling League.
- 11:09- Autopsy confirms that impact with truck killed Davide Rebellin.
- 11:57- Remco Evenepoel confirms he will begin 2023 campaign at the Vuelta a San Juan.
- 12:09- Organisers unveil US Nocturne Cycling Series.
- 12:40- AG Insurance- Soudal Quick-Step unveils new Castelli for for 2023.
-13:25- Servais Knaven confirmed as AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step sports manager
- 15:33- Alexander Richardson resigns with British UCI Continental team Saint Piran
- 16:32- Movistar release teaser for season four of Netflix documentary 'The Least Expected Day'

JULIAN ALAPHILIPPE TO MISS OMLOOP HET NIEUWSBLAD ONCE MORE

Julian Alaphilippe will reportedly begin his 2023 season with the Faun-Ardèche Classic and Drôme Classic, meaning that he will once more miss the opening weekend of the Flemish Classics in 2023. 

According to WielerFlits, the Frenchman will skip Omloop Het Niewusblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne next February, and instead he will target the alternative races which take place on the same weekend in France instead. 

According to the organiser of the Faun-Ardèche and Drôme Classics, Romain Bardet will also make an appearance in the two events next year. 

Alaphilippe rode both the Faun-Ardèche Classic and Drôme Classic last season, finishing in 25th and fifth respectively. 

One of Alaphilippe's main goals next spring is expected to be the Tour of Flanders, a race he was in contention to win in 2020 before colliding with a motorbike in a horrific crash, before being forced to abandon. 

The rest of his schedule next spring is expected to include the E3 Saxo Classic, Amstel Gold Race and Liege-Bastogne-Liege before he makes a return to the Tour de France. 

Due to injury and illness, Alaphilippe was not selected for last season's Tour.

CALEB EWAN CONFIRMED FOR MILAN-SAN REMO

Caleb Ewan will once again look to land a monument victory at Milan-San Remo next season.

The Australian sprinter has gone close on several occasions, proving himself as being one of a select group of sprinters able to tackle the Poggio climb in the races' finale and stay with the leaders. 

Ewan finished second in San-Remo at the 2018 edition of the race to winner Vincenzo Nibali. He was runner up once more in 2021 to winner Jasper Stuyven. 

Lotto-Dstny manager Kurt Van de Wouwer also told Sporza that rising star on the team, Arnaud De Lie, will appear on a more frequent basis at some of cyclings top classics next season. 

De Lie is expected to start both Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix next season.

"We know within the team that Paris-Roubaix has been keeping Arnaud awake for several years," Van de Wouwer said. "He's always very motivated."

B & B HOTELS-KTM NOT REGISTERED WITH FRENCH CYCLING AUTHORITIES FOR 2023

The now defunct B & B Hotels-KTM team have not been registered in any capacity with the French national cycling league for 2023.

B & B Hotels recently collapsed after a big money sponsorship deal failed to materialise, leaving multiple riders facing a last ditch scramble to find new teams for the coming season. 

Mark Cavendish was one of several big name signings that the team were reportedly set to announce, although the squad were ultimately left disappointed by manager Jérôme Pineau.

For a while Pineau had said that the team hoped to at least be able to race at Continental level next year, although according to French newspaper Le Telegramme that is no longer an option. 

Le Telegramme has also reported that approximately 50 people have been left without work after the teams collapse, including 22 riders.

Meanwhile Cavendish has been heavily linked with a move to Astana Qazaqstan. 

AUTOPSY CONFIRMS IMPACT WITH TRUCK KILLED DAVIDE REBELLIN

Davide Rebellin's funeral is due to be held on Friday morning in his hometown of Lonigo near Vicenza in northern Italy, after a scheduled autopsy was completed on his body.

According to reports from various news sources in Italy, results from the autopsy confirmed that the former professional cyclist's death was caused by the impact with the truck that is alleged to have struck him on a roundabout near Lonigo. No other underlying medical conditions were discovered.

According to a report from Cyclingnews, police in Italy are considering issuing a European arrest warrant for the German truck driver, who allegedly stopped after the impact but then drove away and returned to Germany. 

Italian police are due to carry out a reconstruction of the incident to fully understand the details of what happened in the build up to Rebellin's death. 

Authorities reportedly already have both video and photographic evidence from the crime scene which was provided to them by witnesses as well as from cameras in a nearby restaurant car park. 

Rebellin's widow wrote about her heartbreaking loss and love for the former professional rider in a Facebook post. Françoise married the Italian rider in 2004 and they lived together in the hills near Vicenza and Montecarlo. 

"I’m trying to recover from what has happened but how can I without you? Please, hug me with your aura that was so beautiful, so kind and so warming. Give me the strength to pick myself up. Rest in peace, the peace you so deserve. You will always be in my heart, in my being, forever," she wrote. 

Other tributes poured in for Rebellin in the aftermath of his death from across the cycling community.

REMCO EVENEPOEL CONFIRMS HE WILL BEGIN SEASON AT VUELTA A SAN JUAN

Current road world champion Remco Evenepoel has confirmed he will begin his 2023 campaign at the Vuelta San Juan in Argentina. 

The Belgian rider who won both Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Vuelta a España will return to the race where he made his first professional outing in 2019 before returning and winning it the following year. 

In a video released on social media, Evenepoel said he was looking forward to wearing the rainbow jersey in Argentina next year. 

"I'm happy to race again in San Juan, it was my first race as a pro in 2019, I have a lot of great memories from my previous outings in Argentina, and I'm delighted to start my year in the rainbow jersey there," Evenepoel said.

"I hope to see many of those amazing fans on the road and I can't wait to debut my Soudal-QuickStep world champion jersey in a couple of weeks," he added.

ORGANISERS UNVEIL US NOCTURNE CYCLING SERIES

A new three-race criterium series has been unveiled in the United States by its organisers Endurance Sport Marketing. 

Taking place in El Paso, St Petersburg and San Rafael, the three-race series is called Nocturne Cycling Series . Each event will feature several categories of racing through the day and into the night around a 1.5 kilometre circuit. 

The new series builds on the original Nocturne Cycling event which was first developed in 2007 in London. 

“Our firm was honoured to be offered the opportunity to launch the Nocturne Cycling Series in the U.S. and after 18 months of planning, searching, and many site visits, we are happy with the first three choices we made with our partners and cities," Craig Mintzlaff of Endurance Sports Marketing said. 

"Our ideas and London’s success will create a unique event that Americans will find quite different and festive than anything else seen in the States."

The series is scheduled to be held throughout September in 2023 with San Rafael in California playing host to the first race on 9 September. 

It will then travel to El Paso, Texas on 16 September before wrapping in St Petersburg, Florida on 23 September.

AG INSURANCE- SOUDAL QUICK-STEP WOMEN'S TEAM UNVEILS NEW KIT

The recently rebranded AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step team has revealed a new look for 2023 that clearly displays its ties with the men's team moving forward.

Earlier this year, the team were riding under the name AG Insurance-NXTG but partnered with the Patrick Lefevere run Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl squad. 

In addition to Soudal being brought onboard as a new headline sponsor for both the men's and women's teams, Castelli has also come onboard as kit supplier to the new women's team. 

Both of the teams new kit's follow a similar design made up of dark blue and white, with just logos of a few key sponsors being the main difference. 

DATES FOR THE UAE TOUR IN 2023 RELEASED

Earlier this week the dates for the UAE Tour in 2023 were confirmed by race organisers RCS. 

Next years edition of the race through the desert is due to start and finish in Abu Dhabi, and will take place between 20-26 February 2023. Further details of the route are expected to be announced in early January.

Fabrizio D'Amico, chief operating officer for RCS Sports and UAE Tour director said that once again, the UAE Tour will provide the perfect opportunity for the best riders in the world to begin their season. 

“For the past eight years the UAE has exponentially grown from strength to strength in professional cycling. The seven stage WorldTour race will enter is fifth edition in February 2023 and will once again attract the best riders from all the world," he said.

"The UAE Tour is always an exciting race as it allows the riders to test themselves ahead of the European calendar races and the Grand Tour races and sets the tone of the season to come”.

The first ever UAE Tour was held in 2019 and was won by Primož Roglič. 

Adam Yates won the race the following year during the Covid interrupted 2020 season, with Tadej Pogačar taking the victory in both 2021 and 2022. 

Meanwhile little is currently known about the 2023 UAE Tour for women.  

AG INSURANCE-SOUDAL QUICK-STEP CONFIRM SERVAIS KNAVEN TO BE NEW SPORTS MANAGER

Servais Knaven has been confirmed as the new sports manager for the AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step team for 2023 according to our sister site Cyclingnews.

Until recently Knaven was working as a directeur sportif for the Ineos Grenadiers team but left during an overhaul of the British squads coaching staff this winter.  

Knaven’s wife Natascha van Ouden, a four-time Dutch cyclo-cross champion, is already the team manager, while his daughters Britt, Mirre and Senne Knaven are all part of the roster for the next season.

Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio also recently signed for the Dutch registered team from SD Worx for 2023.

Partnering with the men's Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl squad for the new season will see them share backers with Patrick Lefevere's men's team. Both squads will have Soudal as a headline sponsor and share Castelli as a kit supplier.

“All the parties who are putting their shoulders to the wheel of our women's team have been active in cycling for several years, so they are familiar with the ins and outs of the cycling world,” Lefevere said.

“It’s a factor that is obviously extremely important if you want to build something together.”

ALEX RICHARDSON RE-SIGNS WITH SAINT PIRAN FOR 2023

British UCI Continental team Saint Piran have confirmed that star rider Alex Richardson has resigned with the Cornwall-based team for 2023. 

Former WiV SunGod rider Richardson has vast experience at a higher level, previously racing for UCI ProTeam Alpecin-Fenix. He also came third in the British national championships road race this year behind Mark Cavendish and Sam Watson. 

The 32-year-old also took the honours at the Ryedale GP this year in what was a solid season in the colours of Saint Piran. 

Richard Pascoe, general manager of the British team said that keeping hold of Richardson was central to the teams long term racing ambitions. 

“We are a family and building a team is about lots of different aspects coming together sure performance is key but what we have in Alex is a man that portrays the right values in a human . This leadership is key am delighted he has committed to Saint Piran for the foreseeable future," Pascoe said. 

"He’s a road captain and we have some unfinished business for and with Alex around what he wants to achieve . The last eight months is about building a culture in the team, and one which all our riders thrive in and Alex is central to developing all our new talent," he added.

SERGIO HIGUITA SAYS SOME WORLDTOUR TEAMS 'FORGET' ABOUT SENIOR PROS

Sergio Higuita has said that some top level cycling teams are so focussed on finding the next Tadej Pogačar, they then forget that older riders on their roster can still perform at a very high level. 

In an interview with El Colombiano, Higuita explained that he feels teams are too caught up in the pursuit to find the next Evenepoel, Ayuso or Pogacar and forget about the quality that they already have.

“There is too much pressure for riders today," Higuita said. "It is that with what they have been doing, for example, Remco, Tadej or Ayuso, the big teams believe that it is the young people who are going to perform and not the old ones. And it happens that with Roglic, Quintana, Urán... you can also achieve high performance."

"The teams are looking for a new Pogacar, but not all young riders are going to become like him," he added.

Higuita is one of several South American riders that has risen through cycling's development ranks to then go on to perform at the highest level in the WorldTour and achieve results. 

Last season Higuita won the Colombian national road championships as well as winning the general classification at the Volta a Catalunya. 

However, Higuita has noticed that the development programme that he along with other riders such as Egan Bernal, Dani Martinez and Santiago Buitrago followed is now "being ignored". 

“The quality is still there, but due to the desire to get young Colombian cyclists, they are skipping the processes. A good school must be done, especially in Europe, as Dani Martínez, Bernal, Iván Sosa, Santiago Buitrago, I did... I saw that none of them immediately made it to the WorldTour," he added.

MOVISTAR RELEASE TEASER FOR 'THE LEAST EXPECTED DAY' SEASON FOUR

Movistar have released a short teaser video for season four of their Netflix documentary 'The Least Expected Day'. 

The show run in collaboration with Netflix has been highly successful for the Spanish team. Each season has documented the teams most recent year with the recently released third season documenting the fallout of Miguel Angel Lopez's row with management at the Vuelta a Espana. 

Other highlights of season three was an in depth look at Annemiek van Vleuten's success with the team so far. 

In the late summer I watched the whole series so that you don't have to! Here's what I learned from watching season three of the least expected day. 

Over at Cycling Weekly, this is what we want to see in the upcoming series too. 

Right! That's all we've got time for today folks!

See you back here for another day of live blog action tomorrow!

Matej Mohorič has played down his own descending skills and says that others in the pro peloton are better than him at going downhill. 

The Slovenian two-time Tour de France stage winner took the honours at Milan-San Remo in the spring with a daredevil descent of the Poggio, famously using a dropper seat post more commonly found on a mountain bike. 

When speaking to Cycling Weekly, Mohorič played down his own brilliance and insisted that other riders were far superior to him when it comes to descending. 

“No, I’m definitely not the best. I think I’m pretty good, but no, I’m not the best,” he said, “there are others who are better and faster than me.”

Attacking on the descent of the famous Poggio climb took his rivals at Milan-San Remo completely unawares, but after Tom Pidcock’s exploits at the Tour de France in July, the Slovenian flagged the British rider as being up there as the best descender in the peloton. 

“Julian Alaphilippe is pretty good, some sprinters are pretty special, then Tom Pidcock of course, he’s pretty fast,” Mohorič added.

When asked what attributes add up to a great descender, the Bahrain Victorious rider explained that the required skills are psychological as much as they are physical. 

“I think you’re born with it or you’re not, you either have it or you don’t, that’s the lack of fear I guess,” he said. “Then it’s just the practice that makes the difference, especially from a young age and learning from your mistakes." 

Mohorič's use of a dropper seatpost to lower his centre of gravity and aid his escape down the Poggio was hailed as a work of genius, but the Slovenian revealed to Cycling Weekly that it wasn't his idea.

He said it took some convincing by a Bahrain Victorious mechanic, Filip Tišma, to use the seatpost. 

“He [Tišma] is in charge of research and is a committed mountain biker himself, and knows that the dropper post has an advantage in mountain biking," Mohorič recalled. "He was wondering about the advantages on the road and came to me and asked me about the idea. 

“I didn’t know if it would work or not, but I was happy to test it over the winter.” 

A MONUMENT WIN IS THE HARDEST

After giving his newly equipped bike plenty of testing over the winter months, Mohorič explained to Cycling Weekly that the advantages soon became clear to him. 

With that considered, Milan-San Remo seemed like an obvious choice to give his new weapon its first outing on the road. 

“Already the first time I used it, I saw a big opportunity. I thought it could make quite a significant difference and be an advantage but wasn’t sure exactly how much,” he said. “Milan-San Remo seemed like the perfect place to use that advantage because the race can be decided on that final descent.” 

“We had thought about using it before, but then we decided to save it for the big one. I love that race and had dreamt of winning it one day, even without a dropper seatpost, so that was just something that could help me,” he added. 

“We thought that we would be the only ones using it on that day and it worked.” 

Once he finished the descent from the Poggio and was bursting into San Remo, disaster nearly struck when Mohorič temporarily dropped his chain. 

At that point TotalEnergies rider Anthony Turgis was rapidly bearing down on him but the Slovenian still managed to get the job done.

“To have a plan come together like this is probably a once in a lifetime experience. I was just amazed, proud and happy for the whole team and everyone around me,” he said. 

“More people know you for winning stages at the Tour de France. Although from an athlete's perspective, it’s probably easier to win two stages at the Tour than to win a monument, especially in that way.”

Two-time world champion Julian Alaphilippe has revealed he hopes to be back to “100%” and challenging for the win at next year’s Tour of Flanders. 

In a video shared by Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl on their social media channels, the Frenchman said: "I’m just looking forward to restarting the new season. You know, [this season] was a tough year and I hope I can have, not more luck, but maybe less bad luck.

"I will be super focused to try to have my level on top," the 30-year-old continued. "I keep in my head that I can be 100% for the Tour of Flanders. It can suit me well and I dream of performing there. This is my big goal for the first part of the season next year.”

2022 proved a season to forget for Alaphilippe, having struggled to find form due to injuries. “Of course it was not an easy season," he said, "with a lot of crashes and some bad luck." 

In April, the Frenchman was hospitalised after hitting a tree at high speed during Liège-Bastogne-Liège suffering two broken ribs, a broken scapula and a punctured lung, which left him sidelined for two months. 

Returning from his crash, Alaphilippe turned super domestique for his teammate Remco Evenepoel at the Vuelta a España, a race the Belgian would go on to win. 

“To fight for the red jersey with Remco, to try to help him every day, it was really something that I will never forget,” he said. “Of course I was really, really disappointed to leave the guys on the road and watch the race on the TV for the last ten stages.”

The Frenchman abandoned the race after suffering a dislocated shoulder in a crash on stage 11. Despite losing his teammate, Evenepoel took a resounding victory in the Spanish Grand Tour, finishing over two minutes ahead of Movistar’s Enric Mas in the overall standings. 

“Remco was incredible and that was fantastic for him, for the team,” Alaphilippe said. “I’m super happy for him. He did an incredible season, something really special. I’m proud of him.

“He is the best rider who can have the rainbow jersey.”

They say when you're winning everyone wants to be your friend. Certainly that seems to be the case for newly crowned World Champion Remco Evenepoel.

In recent weeks, a tug of war over his signature, already on a Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl contract until the end of 2026, has emerged. 

It all started when VeloNews  reported the team principal of Ineos Grenadiers, Dave Brailsford, sent a text message to Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl boss Patrick Lefevere in the wake of the Belgians World Championship victory, which read: “If one day you want to sell him, give me a call.” 

That felt like it could be a case of cheeky banter being given unwarranted gravitas but at the weekend CyclingNews reported that Ineos Grenadiers have formulated an offer to Evenepoel and his father, which would see Evenepoel join the British outfit as a Grand Tour team leader. In that same report Lefevere said believes he has a watertight long-term contract with the Belgian and threatened a long and costly legal fight if a move for the Belgian was to progress further. 

If the transfer were to happen, it would see the British team pull off a audacious Real Madrid style stunt bagging one of cycling's “galacticos”. 

But while such a leap might be great for Evenepoel's bank balance (Lefevere hinted it'd be a serious an uplift in his salary) it would risk turning a star into just another blink in a constellation just as it's brightness is in the ascendency.

For Ineos the upside is obvious. Evenepoel’s 2022 success, which has seen him bag a Liège–Bastogne–Liège victory, a second Clásica San Sebastián title and a first-ever Grand Tour title with his Vuelta a España win and a World Championship win would be a fillip to a squad that has had a few misfires of late. Most notable is its inability to win a grand tour in 2022, the first time that has happened since 2014.

The Belgian would seem a natural plug-and-play replacement for Egan Bernal who's ability to recover from his severe injuries in a training crash in January this year is still in doubt.

But for Evenepoel the upside is less clear. His rise could be  interrupted if he was to depart “the Wolfpack” for the “Death Star” of the WorldTour. 

Evenepoel is still incredibly young, and has aspects of his riding that still need to be refined. Evenepoel has proven himself as being an outstanding climber on short, sharp punchy hills that feature in monuments and classics, although was caught out at times in the high mountains of the Vuelta. 

Granted, he still held on for an impressive victory in Spain but with Primož Roglič crashing out the 2022 Vuelta a España also featured a weaker field than the other two Grand Tours of the year. No doubt Ineos has the technical expertise to help him do that but if they see him as a immediate leader would he be given the space to improve this aspect of his riding?

At Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl, Evenepoel is the main man. Other than former World Champion Julian Alaphilippe, the team lacks any other Grand Tour high fliers capable of mounting general classification challenges in France, Spain and Italy in years to come. Mattia Cattaneo finished 12th for the team at the 2021 Tour de France, but they weren’t able to better that at the 2022 edition with no riders finishing within the top 20. 

In contrast Ineos currently possess Bernal, Dani Martinez and Geraint Thomas who are all capable of Grand Tour victory as well as British stars of the likes of Ethan Hayter and Tom Pidcock who are likely the future of the team. 

In an Ineos jersey, Evenepoel would quickly become just another piece added to the stockpile. The team has found scant success fielding teams with multiple leaders in recent years. Richard Carapaz’s move from Movistar to the British team never really took off and should serve as a warning to Evenepoel that the grass is not always greener. 

Although Quick-Step lack Ineos's financial power, Patrick Lefevere is well known for his shrewd signings. Evenepoel can sacrifice 2023 to his own development without a stellar support cast, and possible still win another grand tour, safe in the knowledge his boss has a strong incentive to secure two or three world class domestiques in the mould of Wout Poels of Bahrain Victorious for 2024.

With riders like that on board, along with Alaphilippe, Asgreen, Remi Cavagna and Tim de Clerq, Quick-Step would suddenly have a team that looked capable of challenging Jumbo-Visma and UAE Team Emirates in France in July. 

While you could say the same for Ineos, competing GC campaigns may see any strong domestiques directed to other races or certainly the resources split. At Quick-Step he is likely to have more influence on who they are and they need fewer pieces to build a winning squad of eight riders.

Plus, when he arrives in France one July who will be better equipped to counter the free-wheeling attacking spirit of Tadej Pogacar or Jonas Vingegaard? Ineos have been a more flamboyant racing machine of late, but it is difficult to argue that the more naturally aggressive "Wolfpack" doesn't represent a better fit of his talents and a better insight into his likely rivals.

Evenepoel might have to settle for a smaller salary at Quick-Step, although there is a reason Mark Cavendish returned to the team after years away. The will to win and work ethic of the Belgian squad is unrivalled and ultimately Evenepoel’s future value will be measured by being part of that squad, not jumping ship for a larger paycheck now.  

 Pogačar reasserts status as world’s best

For the last couple of months, the cycling world has been ablaze with talk of the coming of age of one Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl). With the young Belgian having been crowned world champion just weeks after claiming a maiden Grand Tour title at the Vuelta a España, the question was being asked — is Evenepoel the best rider in the world?

Re-enter Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates). As recently as three months ago, you’d struggle to find anyone willing to argue against the Slovenian as the world’s best, but his defeat at the Tour de France diluted the aura of invisibility he had established. 

By winning Il Lombardia on Saturday in such dominant fashion, however, Pogačar offered a timely reminder of just how peerlessly brilliant he is. He attacked to devastating effect on the Civiglio, with only Enric Mas (Movistar) able to follow, and could rely on his lethal finishing sprint to take victory over the Spaniard in the finale. 

Maybe Evenepoel has just about had the better season, but he hasn’t enjoyed the kind of prolonged period of success that Pogačar has. Since his first Tour success two years ago, never have several months gone by without him registering at least one huge result, whether it be his two Tour de France titles and one runner-up finish, or his three monument victories. Sure, Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) got the better of him at the Tour this July, but Pogačar enjoyed revenge for that result in Lombardy, with the Dane floundering in 16th, demonstrating just how much more diverse the Slovenian's talents are. 

We can’t wait for him and Evenepoel to face-off in the future, in what’s likely to be a generation-defining rivalry. But for now, Pogačar remains the don of the peloton. 

Mas in danger of becoming cycling’s eternal bridesmaid

From Raymond Poulidor to Jan Ullrich, cycling history is full of exceptional athletes who are nevertheless better remembered for their defeats rather than their victories.

Is Enric Mas in danger of becoming the latest eternal bridesmaid? He was out-sprinted by Tadej Pogačar in the final of Il Lombardia to place second, to go alongside the three runner-up finishes at the Vuelta a España he’s already registered in his career.

To be fair to Mas, this was a seriously impressive ride. To be able to follow such a devastating Pogačar attack took very strong legs, and the pair were head and shoulders above the rest of the field. Like his defeat at the Vuelta to Remco Evenepoel, his failure to win was not down to his own shortcomings, but the brilliance of his opponent. 

But it’s true that Mas doesn’t win a lot — in fact, the Giro dell’Emilia last week was his first since April 2021. He still needs to develop more of a killer instinct to become one of the peloton’s very elite riders, but he’s improving all the time, and looks to be on the verge of his peak years. 

Nibali and Valverde bid quiet farewells

All eyes were on Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Vincenzo Nibali (Astana Qazaqstan) at Il Lombardia as they competed in the last races of their historic careers.

In this year of so many high-profile retirees from the peloton, which also includes Philippe Gilbert, Richie Porte and Tom Dumoulin, these two might just be the greatest of them all. It almost seemed unfair that they had to share the limelight at Lombardia and not have separate races each to bid farewell. 

Valverde had not won a race since February, and Nibali had been winless all year, but as such champions of the sport, you still sensed it was possible for them to find a way to give their careers the best possible send off.

Ultimately, however, both riders bowed out quietly. Given his aggressive instincts and love for putting on a show, a Nibali attack was highly anticipated, but the first and only time he was centre stage was when he was being dropped on the Civiglio climb. He went on to finish 24th.

Valverde was similarly anonymous, but more so because he was preserving energy. When the selections were made on the Civiglio, he was present in the small chase group that formed behind Pogačar, Mas and Mikel Landa (Bahrain-Victorious). Had he not had his teammate Mas up the road, maybe he could have attacked for a better result, but sixth-place was still a demonstration that the Spaniard was still able to be competitive right to the very end of his career. 

The new parcours harder than seemed

The removal of the Muro di Sormano from the finale of Il Lombardia led some to predict that this year’s edition would not be as difficult or selective as normal.

The climb was the hardest in the original route, always dropping many less capable riders out of contention, as well as making for a great spectacle with its passionate fans and colourful road graffiti. Its replacement by a second ascent of the much less difficult San Fermo della Battaglia appeared to play into the favour of the punchier riders, and brought into question the race’s status as the ‘climber’s classic’. 

However, this year’s race proved to be just as difficult as ever. The time gaps were as big as ever, with Landa the only rider to finish within 52 seconds of Pogačar and Mas, and the riders arrived at the finish in multiple small groups.

It appeared that the additional climbing added to the first half of this year’s route was enough to see the climbers come to the fore. Nobody was dropped on these early ascents, but the fatiguing effect of them became evident in the carriage that occurred on the Civiglio, where the riders were strewn all across the road.

Puncheurs like Matej Mohoric (Bahrain-Victorious) who might have fancied their chances this year were nowhere to be seen, while the top ten was full of pure climbers, from Sergio Higuita (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Carlos Rodríguez (Ineos Grenadiers) in fourth and fifth to Romain Bardet (DSM) and Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers) in ninth and tenth. 

Even Mikel Landa (Bahrain-Victorious), who’s never been known as a rider for the classics, was right in the mix, placing third after he nearly managed to stick with Pogačar and Mas. This Lombardia was as much a climber’s edition as any in the past. 

No redemptive ending of season to forget for Julian Alaphilippe

There was to be no redemptive end to what has been Julian Alaphilippe’s annus horriblis.

It was clear as early as the Madonna del Ghisallo climb that he was not on a good day, as he hovered around the back of the peloton. He was dropped, and eventually finished 51st — exactly the same finishing position as he managed at the World Championships a fortnight ago. 

While he had shown no real form following his race-ending crash at the Vuelta a España in August, it still felt premature to write off a rider of Alaphilippe’s quality. 

The Frenchman therefore ends his crash and illness-marred 2022 with just the two wins, the leanest since 2016. For a rider who typically wins at least one of the world’s biggest races every season, that was some step down.

Alaphilippe wasn’t the only rider to leave Lombardy disappointed. Jonas Vingegaard didn’t have the legs to stay with the attacks on Civiglio despite putting his Jumbo-Visma team to work for much of the race, while Domenico Pozzovivo (Intermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux) was unable to capitalise on his good form as he crashed out. And Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe) couldn’t rediscover the form that made him such a force during the spring, and finished down in 18th. 

Julian Alaphilippe has said that he will share leadership within the French team in the men's elite road race at the World Championships this Sunday. 

Speaking to L’Équipe on Wednesday, the defending world champion said: “I’m not at 100%, but I’m there to go deep and give my best. We all have the profiles in this team to respond to the tough course, even if we’re perhaps less of the favourites than in previous years.

“I consider myself able to influence the race and help my teammates if necessary. I’m one of the leaders, not the sole leader, and that suits me. I have riders in great form by my side, we’ll ride as a team.” 

Joining the Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl rider in the nine-man French squad will be Christophe Laporte, Forian Sénéchal, Quentin Pacher, Pavel Sivakov, Bruno Armirail, Valentin Madouas and Romain Bardet. Recent GP de Québec winner Benoît Cosnefroy will also be present, after being brought in on Wednesday to replace Rémi Cavagna. 

This year, Alaphilippe has endured a season marred by crashes and injuries. The 30-year-old was sidelined for two months back in April after suffering two broken ribs, a broken scapula and a punctured lung during Liège-Bastogne-Liège. At last month’s Vuelta a España, he dislocated his shoulder in a crash on stage 11 and abandoned the race.

“I’m not in the best condition, that’s for sure,” he told L’Équipe. “I hurt myself at the Vuelta once again this season, one time too many really.

“I only spent a few days off the bike. This season, there have been several moments where I’ve wanted to put the bike in the garage and wait for 2023, but I’m happy to be [in Australia] with the guys, I’m ready to fight for us to keep the world champion jersey within the team.”

Despite his form, Alaphilippe remains one of the favourites for victory in Wollongong. When asked if he felt any pressure heading into the road race, the Frenchman responded with a resounding non. 

“The only time I felt it a bit was maybe in Imola two years ago. Last year, I didn’t feel it, I wanted to give everything, but above all I was ready to lose, which explains my way of racing in the final. I think my head is going to make more of a difference than my legs, but I don’t feel any pressure.”

Riders competing at the 2022 road World Championships in Wollongong, Australia will be thanking helmet sponsors for their top of the range lids that they have the privilege of wearing during racing in the coming days. 

First and foremost to protect them from serious head injury in the event of a crash, but also to help to ward off potential dive bombing magpies on the roads of Wollongong. 

Wollongong is home to a large population of the birds and locals refer to the start of the current season as "swooping season" as the birds clatter down into cyclists, pedestrians and anyone they set eyes on in a bid to protect their young. 

Of course, this happens to be just in time for multitudes of world class cyclists using the local roads to train and then compete. 

Bauke Mollema has become the latest rider to share footage on social media of himself and other Dutch riders coming under attack from the birds on a group training ride. 

Other riders currently out in Wollongong have also come under attack recently include recently crowned Vuelta a España champion Remco Evenepoel who experienced being stalked by a magpie ahead of last weekend’s elite men's time trial. 

Evenepoel said: “A fairly large bird came very close and it just kept following me. It was terrifying. But that's Australia, apparently. I hope it's the only time it happens, but I am afraid of it."

In the footage of Mollema being attacked, a bird clearly swoops down using its feet to collide with the Dutch rider's head, something which is said to be very common in the local area at this time of year. 

However, the dangers from the bird attacks have very occasionally ended badly. In extreme cases the consequences even proved to be fatal. 

In 2019 a man was killed after crashing his bike when attempting to avoid a swooping magpie in the city. 

Paul Partland, a local vet in Wollongong recently shared some advice to the general public as well as cyclists on how to ward off the pesky attackers. 

He said: “Swooping birds tend to target people that are by themselves and also people that are moving in very fast ways. Unfortunately, I don't think we're going to slow down the cyclists in their race to take a little side breather as the birds swoop by.

"As we're watching it as pedestrians and spectators we should be walking rather than running."

So far so good, the magpies have largely stayed away from actual events with no riders reporting being attacked during a race. 

Moving forward, the likes of Julian Alaphilippe will be keeping his fingers crossed that if the attacks come in the men’s elite road race next weekend, they are from his rivals for the rainbow bands and not from any aerial attackers. 

Julian Alaphilippe has been selected to represent France at the World Championships later this month, following concerns he would be unable to compete due to injury. 

The reigning world champion abandoned the Vuelta a España less than two weeks ago after he suffered a dislocated shoulder in a crash on stage 11. He has since been cleared to defend his rainbow jersey, and will join Romain Bardet, Christophe Laporte, Valentin Madouas, Quentin Pacher, Florian Sénéchal, Pavel Sivakov, Rémi Cavagna and Bruno Armirail in the French squad for the event.

Following his withdrawal from the Vuelta, Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl issued a medical update outlining that Alaphilippe had been permitted to resume training on rollers immediately. 

“Should the movement and the pain be manageable, he then should be able to start full training in the not-too-distant future,” the statement continued.

However, the Frenchman’s Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl team boss Patrick Lefevere recently advised his rider against racing at the Worlds. 

“He wants to risk it, but I don’t think it’s that smart,” Lefevere said in an interview with Sporza. “If I had been him, I would have let the World Championships pass me by and put everything on the Italian races. But I understand the pressure of – what I will call – French politics. 

“I don’t pay him to ride for the French team. Becoming world champion is nice, but I’d rather have him race in our jersey."

Victory in Wollongong would see Alaphilippe join Peter Sagan as the only other rider to win three consecutive titles in the men’s elite road race. It would also add a silver lining on what has been a difficult year for the Frenchman. 

In April, Alaphilippe was hospitalised after hitting a tree at high speed during Liège-Bastogne-Liège. A statement from Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl confirmed that the Frenchman had suffered two broken ribs, a broken scapula and a punctured lung, which left him sidelined for two months. 

Within a month of his return, the 30-year-old won the opening stage of the Tour de Wallonie, before having to withdraw from the race with Covid-19. 

While he has been selected to compete in Wollongong, there are a number of notable omissions from France's squad, namely David Gaudu, Thibaut Pinot, Arnaud Démare and Benoît Cosnefroy, the latter of whom recently claimed victory in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec. 

The men’s road race will close out this year’s World Championships, taking place on Sunday 25 September. 

Julian Alaphilippe (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) suffered a dislocated right shoulder when he crashed out of the Vuelta a España after coming down heavily during stage 11 on Wednesday.

Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl confirmed the 30-year-old Frenchman's injuries in a brief statement on Wednesday evening which clarified that whilst he dislocated his shoulder, X-rays showed that he did not suffer any fractures.

The Belgian team also confirmed that Alaphilippe will travel to Belgium today where he will undergo an extra scan at a hospital in Herentals, in order to rule out further damage or injuries.

Whilst the team have said that at this no point, no timescale has been set for his recovery, Alaphilippe's latest injury will put his participation at the upcoming World Championships in Australia in doubt. The 30-year-old is the current reigning two-time road World Champion and was set to compete for a third straight title in Wollongong, Australia.

With about 64km left to go on yesterday's stage 11, on an innocuous looking corner, the Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl rider's bike slipped out from under him forcing him crashing to the floor. He was then taken away from the race in an ambulance. 

At this stage of the race, with ten more days still to come, losing the World Champion is a huge blow for his teammate and race leader Remco Evenepoel.

The Frenchman was then seen on the ground looking visibly in pain clutching his shoulder. After receiving assistance from race medical staff, Alaphilippe was pictured having his arm strapped into a splint before he was helped onto a stretcher and into the back of an ambulance. 

After losing Pieter Serry to Covid-19 earlier in the race, the loss of Julian Alaphilippe leaves Remco Evenepoel with just five teammates ahead of a crucial weekend in the mountains. 

This latest unfortunate incident for Julian Alaphilippe continues his miserable 2022 season. Earlier this year, Alaphilippe crashed out of Liège–Bastogne–Liège suffering horrific injuries including a collapsed lung and multiple fractures. The Frenchman’s crash was so extreme that fellow countryman Romain Bardet (DSM) went to his aid before medical staff arrived. 

After a lengthy period off the bike, the 30-year-old reigning World Champion then was left out of the Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Tour de France line up for the first time in five years. 

Alaphilippe then returned to racing at the French national championships but admitted that his heavy crash in Belgium still played on his mind. 

He said: “It’s not that I’m scared, but I think on some descents, some things may have changed a bit, these may be things that will seem weird at first.”

The Frenchman celebrated a comeback win at the Tour de Wallonie before he then tested positive for Covid-19 forcing him out of action once more. 

Earlier today, Simon Yates (BikeExchange-Jayco) along with Pavel Sivakov (Ineos Grenadiers) both tested positive for Coronavirus forcing them out of the Spanish Grand Tour too, along with three riders from Equipe Kern Pharma.

Julian Alaphilippe and Remco Evenepoel were in a relaxed mood at the Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl pre Vuelta a España press conference this afternoon. 

After a season filled with injury and illness, Alaphilippe's comeback will see him target stage wins at the Spanish Grand Tour whereas Evenepoel is the Belgian team's protected rider in the general classification battle. 

The opening stages of this year’s Vuelta are in the Netherlands, beginning with tomorrow's opening day team time trial in the city of Utrecht. After confirming that he would ride behind Evenepoel in the team time trial, Alaphilippe joked about his chances of holding the tempo of the Belgian. 

He said: “Pray for me! The only problem for me is that I will have a lot of mosquitoes on my window [time trial helmet visor] because Remco is so aero. I’ll always be in the wind!” 

Evenepoel added, “We are all looking forward to it and are focussed on tomorrow. I think the dream of our team will be to win the opening stage that’s for sure… we’re just going to give our maximum as fast as possible and then we will see after that what the results will be.” 

Evenepoel won both Liège–Bastogne–Liège and the Clásica de San Sebastián this year to demonstrate that he is in outstanding form. Furthermore the Belgian is also widely regarded as a formidable time trialist. 

Reflecting back on recent months, Alaphilippe admitted that he has had far from an ideal season. The reigning World Champion crashed out of Liège suffering horrific injuries ruling him out of the Tour de France. 

His misfortune would continue as he then tested positive for Covid-19 right after making a comeback to racing. 

He said: “Of course, it hasn’t been an easy season for me. Now I’m just looking forward to racing here and I’m happy to be here. I have a lot of motivation to ride a good Vuelta.” 

Alaphilippe added: “Remco will be our leader for the GC, that’s clear. He can count on the full support of the team. But I think it’s really important to take it day after day, for now we are focussed on the team time trial.” 

Looking ahead to when the racing moves back to Spain next Tuesday, Evenepoel concluded that not losing too much time tomorrow will be crucial ahead of a difficult following few days.

He said, “the first week is already going to be difficult. We all already know that the north of Spain is a difficult area to race in… the best thing would be if we could combine in the first week a stage win, along with a good GC spot with no time loss ahead of the time trial in Alicante.” 

Robbie McEwen has backed Giro d'Italia winner Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) to perform well at the Vuelta a España and challenge in the general classification. 

The Australian former star sprinter turned cycling commentator explained that due to the intensity of the recent Tour de France, he cannot envisage riders who rode the Tour challenging for the General Classification (GC) in the Vuelta. 

He said, “I really think he [Hindley] can deliver. I think the combination this year in terms of riding Grand Tours is really achievable if it's the Giro d'Italia followed by the Vuelta, Giro then Tour de France or Tour then Vuelta not so much.”

McEwen added, “If you look at the way the Giro was raced every day was just incredibly aggressive, then the Tour was that times two, it was just nuts. Anybody who finished the Tour de France and then hopes to ride GC at the Vuelta, good luck to them!” 

Along with Hindley’s freshness, McEwen explained that he believes the best case scenario for the Bora-Hansgrohe rider would be to remain in contention and then take the red jersey later on in the race. 

McEwen said, “I don’t think they [Bora-Hansgrohe] are going to try and dominate and isolate anyone early on in this Vuelta. It’s just going to be a really hard race, with seven summit finishes and for any team the less days you need to ride on the front and control the race the better. 

“The best recipe for Jai will probably be similar to the one at the Giro. Take the jersey really late and then just defend it for a day. I think it would be foolish to try and blow up a team like Ineos and flush out their leader early on, you could just end up seeing yourself undone.”

As well as Hindley, the start list is full of potential winners including Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) and Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) and McEwen sees the Ineos lineup as potentially springing a surprise. 

He said, “On paper they [Ineos Grenadiers] have got a really strong team. You don’t quite know which one’s going to end up as the leader,” he added , “you would expect Carapaz but maybe it could be Carlos Rodriguez or maybe Geoghegan Hart if he can get back to some winning form.” 

When Ineos Grenadiers announced their squad for the Spanish Grand Tour, hidden beneath the squad list was the news that this will be the last Grand Tour Richard Carapaz rides in their colours. Carapaz has recently been linked with a move away from the team with multiple suitors potentially lining up to take him. 

McEwen sees a return to Movistar as being a good fit for the Ecuadorian. 

He said: “I think heading back to Movistar would be a likely move, as they really need a rider like him. Valverde is retiring and Enric Mas is a man who is good for fifth, sixth or seventh and I think that’s about his limit. Movistar really needs someone like Carapaz back in their team.” 

Meanwhile Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl are taking Remco Evenepoel to the Vuelta with high hopes for a potential podium finish. Along with the Belgian, Julian Alaphilippe will race his first Grand Tour of the season after missing out on the Tour de France through injury. 

Alaphilippe will look to win a third successive road title at the World Championships this September and McEwen believes the Vuelta will be key preparation for the Frenchman ahead of the final months of the season. 

McEwen said: “I think he will finish the Vuelta and it’s going to be important for him, not just for the Worlds but also going into next season. He’s missed so much and I’m a believer that if you want to stay at a really high level, you definitely need at least one Grand Tour in your legs per season. 

“I reckon you need at least one a year in order to keep your engine at that level. Some guys can cope with two and I think he [Alaphilippe] really needs this. I think it’s going to be perfect preparation for the Worlds and going into the off-season ready to come into 2023 firing on all cylinders again.

“I think Alaphilippe is going to be really good, I can see him winning at least a stage if not more.”  

Robbie McEwen is a Eurosport GCN cycling expert. 

Watch all the action from the third and final Grand Tour of the year LIVE on discovery+, Eurosport and GCN+.

Julian Alaphilippe (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) has hit a minor bump in his comeback from injury after testing positive for Covid-19. 

While the final time trial of this year’s Tour de France was taking place on Saturday, Alaphilippe was crossing the finishing line atop the Mur de Huy to celebrate a comeback win at the Tour de Wallonie. 

However, any delight at the result will have turned to frustration as the Frenchman then tested positive for Covid-19 forcing him out of the racing in Belgium. 

Back in April, the Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl rider suffered extensive injuries after a heavy crash at Liège–Bastogne–Liège. The Frenchman suffered two broken ribs, a punctured lung and a fractured scapula in the horrific incident at the Belgian monument and his extensive lay-off meant he missed out on Tour de France selection. 

Before the Tour de France began, Alaphilippe had made tentative steps on his return to action competing at the French National Championships. 

The 30-year-old admitted beforehand to L’Equipe that he had felt nervous about his return to action when he said: 

“It’s not that I’m scared, but I think on some descents, some things may have changed a bit, these may be things that will seem weird at first.”

On Saturday, in the first stage of the Tour de Wallonie from Temploux to Huy, Alaphilippe was victorious once again on the famous Mur de Huy climb. The World Champion has three victories at La Flèche Wallonne to his name, so will have been relieved to score a comeback win on roads that have previously brought success. 

The Tour de Wallonie may not feature many high-profile riders, although any win on returning from injury is important and Alaphilippe will be a favourite on the hilly stages at the upcoming Vuelta a España.

The Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl rider’s next race is currently unknown. Before the news of his positive test came through, he had been expected to race the Clásica San Sebastián this coming weekend.

The run-up to the Tour de France saw a lot of speculation over the inclusion - or lack of - Mark Cavendish in Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl's squad, especially in the British press. His absence, at the benefit of Fabio Jakobsen, meant he was unable to have a go at winning another stage and holding the record for wins outright. A tragedy for some.

However, in all the fuss over Cavendish's absence, another loss to the Tour, also from Quick-Step, was a little obfuscated. Julian Alaphilippe, the two-time world champion, the man who has won stages at the last four Tour de France, and worn the yellow jersey at the three most recent, was forced to stay at home.

There have been five French winners at the Tour in the last five editions, across nine stages. Five of those occasions have seen Alaphilippe cross the line first. 

Tuesday marked three years since his win in the individual time trial in Pau in the maillot jaune, a moment that made people believe that it could be time for a French winner of the Tour. This victory, under extreme pressure, is the kind of thing that has been lacking this year.

"I have a natural affection for the race, from my days in the yellow jersey over the past three seasons, my stage victories and many other great memories with my teammates," he said in a statement before the race. 

"To miss another opportunity to wear my beautiful rainbow jersey in my home country is very sad for me and I knew that this decision would be difficult for the team to take," Alaphilippe continued. "At the same time, I completely understand this, because I too don’t want to be at the start if I can’t be at my best level. 

The absence of the Frenchman at this year's race has been hugely damaging to the race, not just for French fans, who have had little to cheer for, but also for the race. Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) has done a decent dynamic impression, but it is not quite the same as Alaphilippe.

"For French cycling, he is missing," AG2R Citroën's team boss, Vincent Lavenu, explained. "He is a spectacular, charismatic rider. Of course he is missing."

Alaphilippe's teammate, and reigning French national champion, Florian Sénéchal, agreed.

"When you take the first week, Planche des Belle Filles, Longwy, Lausanne, these are typical finishes for Julian," he told Cycling Weekly. "Also Mende was good for Julian. For sure we miss him, but he did not have a good feeling before the Tour de France, and you need to be in your top shape for the Tour."

The world champion was involved in a horror crash at Liège-Bastogne-Liège earlier this year, which has left him out of almost all racing since then. While there was hope he could recover in time for the biggest race of them all, it did not happen.

Quick-Step started the race well, winning the first two stages through Yves Lampaert and then Fabio Jakobsen, but since then have been strangely absent from the action, suffering from missing Alaphilippe as much as everyone else, possibly.

France has also struggled at this year's race. The country has achieved just five podium finishes on individual stages across this year's edition, with Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ) finishing second on stage 16, and through Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma), David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ), Romain Bardet (Team DSM) and Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ); these were all third places.

They might have two riders in the top ten on general classification - Bardet and Gaudu - but this pair seem off the pace of Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) and Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates). Without Alaphilippe, they look a bit lost.

"It's possible, because French riders in the last years have proved it can be possible, but today the game is a little bit different," Lavenu said. "There are some foreign riders at the top, Pogačar, Vingegaard, so it makes it more difficult."

This is why the absence of Alaphilippe hits harder.

"For the French, Julian has become the most popular French rider by far, even more than Pinot and Bardet," veteran French journalist François Thomazeau explained. "In a way, we were lucky that the first week was in Denmark and partly Switzerland. The fans were not many, but I'm sure for him he was really heartbroken to not be here."

There is no guarantee, of course, that Alaphilippe would have done anything spectacular at this year's race, but he would have surely tried something, livened up a few stages. Van Aert and Pogačar dominated the opening week, but Alaphilippe could have added been a third musketeer, it would have suited his look, too.

"Thibaut Pinot has been on the attack, even if he didn't win the stage. Romain Bardet is currently up there overall, and you never know what can happen but he looks very consistent, so the podium is within reach," Thomazeau continued. "In that dynamic, Julian Alaphilippe would have been at his best, especially in the first week of the race. That was perfect for him. But, as we know and we've seen in the classics, you've got Alaphilippe, [Mathieu] Van der Poel and Van Aert. 

"It was not Van der Poel's year, but I'm afraid Julian might have struggled to beat Van Aert, on the basis of his strengths at the moment. We will see next year, maybe Van Aert will be less dominant, and Van der Poel and Alaphilippe can challenge. It will be very exciting."

Bastille Day, or Quatorze juillet, has come and gone, and still France waits for a stage winner, expectantly. Despite this, the Tour is still a big draw everywhere it goes - anyone who has been to a stage start or up any climb can attest to that.

"For me, every day is 14 July, because all the French people are so crazy when they see me on the road with this jersey on," Sénéchal, the French champion said, on 14 July. "I hope the next days are the same, all the way to Paris. It's unbelievable to bring this jersey to the Champs-Élysées. 

"It's a crazy day for me because I never know this jersey means so much to the French people. Every day on the road I am a superstar. It's crazy, I hope I can have the jersey for the next years of my career."

There is a cliché that "the Tour is the Tour", but it really is, on a different level to anything else. In this environment, perhaps it doesn't immediately matter that there has not been a French winner so far. There are, of course, five stages for this to be rectified.

"The Tour de France is the Tour de France," Thomazeau said. "As you see every morning, for the kids, for the parents, it's always a matter of being a part of the big July festival. Often the publicity caravan is more important to them than the riders. I've been a French kid waiting for riders on the side of the road, and you were really fighting hard to get bits of paper and the stuff they were throwing out. 

Also, the publicity caravan is half an hour sometimes, it's a moving festival. Whereas the riders fly past in ten seconds. It's impressive, and at the same time you just miss the guy you want to see. I'm sure if the Tour was going around without the peloton it would be popular still. It has been part of French life for 119 years now, so it belongs to our culture and to who we are."

Vive La France, vive Le Tour, but come back next year Julian.

Mark Cavendish is set to leave Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl when his current contract expires at the end of the year. 

Last night, La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that when asked about the British rider’s future, Patrick Lefevere admitted that his time with Quick-Step would come to an end soon.

Lefevere said: 'He will not stay, I think not, it is not possible. It hurts my heart, I would like ... but every now and then the time comes to say thank you for everything he has done for the team and I hope vice versa.'

‘I know that he wants to do two more years in the bunch... but he's not part of our project,’ Lefevere added. 

When approached by Cycling Weekly, Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl said: "We have no statement or information to give on Mark's contract at this time, other than that his current agreement is due to expire at the end of the year."

The omission of Cavendish from the Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Tour de France line up sparked controversy prior to the race getting underway in Copenhagen. 

David Millar was one of many notable figures to speak out on why Cavendish deserved to be at the Tour de France. 

Cavendish recently won a second British National Road title in impressive fashion. The 37-year-old put in a stellar performance to claim the champions jersey and admitted he was “good enough to do the Tour” 

The Manxman is tied on 34 Tour de France stage wins with Eddy Merckx and allowed himself to dream of a 35th record stage win in the British Champions jersey. 

Before realising he would be missing out, Cavendish said: “Can you imagine winning a 35th Tour de France stage in the British champion's jersey? It'd be really beautiful. Those photos would be there forever,” 

The news that it's expected that he will not be offered a new deal by Quick-Step will cause a stir in the peloton. 

Cavendish’s performance in Castle Douglas and form prior to the race proved that he still is more than capable of performing at the top level. 

Other teams may take note of the ‘Manx-Missile’s’ situation and offer him a chance to win the record stage next year.  

Cavendish wasn’t the only high-profile name from Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl to miss out on selection for the Tour de France this year. Current World Champion Julian Alaphilippe is also sitting out as he continues his recovery from injury sustained at Liège–Bastogne–Liège earlier this year. 

Quick-Step made a flying start to this year’s Tour de France winning the first two stages with Yves Lampaert and Fabio Jakobsen. Lampaert also took the first yellow jersey of the race. 

There is no room for Mark Cavendish or Julian Alaphilippe in Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl's Tour de France squad, with Fabio Jakobsen preferred as the sprinting option over the former.

The eight-man team was announced on Monday afternoon, four days before the Tour starts in Copenhagen on Friday. It means no record-breaking for Cavendish, with the 37-year-old stuck on 34 stage victories at the race, tied with Eddy Merckx.

It had already been reported that Alaphilippe would miss out, due to injuries sustained in a horror crash at Liège-Bastogne-Liège in April. However, there was still hope for Cavendish, after the Manxman took his second British National Road victory on Sunday.

Despite this, Dutchman Jakobsen has been preferred to Cavendish, with his superior sprinting record this season - 10 wins to five - likely to be part of the reason.

The other seven riders to be lining up on the start line in Copenhagen on Friday are Kasper Asgreen, Andrea Bagioli, Mattia Cattaneo, Tim Declercq, Mikkel Honoré, Yves Lampaert, and Michael Mørkøv.

Cavendish and Florian Sénéchal have been named as "first-reserve" riders.

This will be Jakobsen's first Tour de France, after two successful editions of the Vuelta a España, where he has won five stages. The 25-year-old was seriously injured in a life-threatening crash two years ago at the Tour of Poland, but has now successfully returned to the top of the sport.

“We have riders who can support Fabio, riders who can climb, but who can also do something in the breakaways." Quick-Step directeur sportif Tom Steels said in a statement. "Kasper, Yves and Michael will form a solid lead-out train for Fabio, who has proved how fast and strong he is in the sprints and will now get to discover Le Tour. 

"Tim will be the guy to help him not only on the flat, but also in the mountains, where he’ll take care that Fabio makes it inside the time limit. Mattia is very flexible, has more experience now and can go in some breakaways, where Andrea and Mikkel can support him. 

"Mikkel has improved a lot since joining the team and deserves his place in the team, while Andrea is a winner and has shown he has the mentality to compete with the best."

Both Cavendish and Sénéchal won their respect national championship road races at the weekend. “Concerning our reserves, we must stress out that they showed a lot of professionalism, continued to train and remained focused in these past couple of weeks, and even brought two victories at the Nationals," Steels said.

As for Alaphilippe, Quick-Step said that the Frenchman was not yet back at 100% following his crash. The 30-year-old said he was disappointed not to be there,

"I have a natural affection for the race, from my days in the yellow jersey over the past three seasons, my stage victories and many other great memories with my teammates," he said in a statement. 

"To miss another opportunity to wear my beautiful rainbow jersey in my home country is very sad for me and I knew that this decision would be difficult for the team to take," Alaphilippe continued. "At the same time, I completely understand this, because I too don’t want to be at the start if I can’t be at my best level. 

"I want to wish the best of luck to my Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl teammates, I know they will do everything to try to have a great race. I will now focus on getting back to my best shape, because I am motivated to do a strong second part of the season."

According to reports from Het Nieuwsblad this morning, team management at Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl have made the decision to leave Julian Alaphilippe out of their Tour de France selection. 

Alaphilippe finished 13th in the French National championship road race on Sunday. The two-time world champion hadn’t raced since April after suffering a horrendous crash at this year’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège in which he suffered extensive injuries. 

“I can't say that I had a lot of fun on the bike, but it went better than expected. So I'm happy," said Alaphilippe post-race. 

Prior to racing on Sunday, the Frenchman had admitted to L’Equipe that he had felt nervous about his return to action. “

“It’s not that I’m scared, but I think on some descents, some things may have changed a bit,” he said. 

“These may be things that will seem weird at first. That’s also why I’m here at nationals, to become automatic again [in racing], not just to see where I am physically,” Alaphilippe added. 

The hotly anticipated Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl lineup is expected to be announced later today. With Alaphilippe returning to racing and Mark Cavendish taking his second British National Road victory over the weekend, all eyes will be on the announcement. 

Dutch sprinter Fabio Jakobsen is expected to be named in the selection for the Belgian team along with Danish rider and 2021 Tour of Flanders winner, Kasper Asgreen. 

Julian Alaphilippe is staying optimistic that he will be able to race at the Tour de France in July, but he understands it wouldn't make sense to push too hard at the moment, as he continues his recovery from his heavy crash at Liège-Bastogne-Liège in April. 

The Frenchman suffered a punctured lung, as well as broken ribs and shoulder blade, as part of a major incident in the bunch at the Ardennes Monument. Alaphilippe's collapsed lung has completely healed now, though, and he is currently training in the Sierra Nevada with his Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl team. 

Initially, it didn't seem possible that Alaphilippe would return in time for the Tour de France, which begins on July 1. However, the latest update suggests an appearance at the Grand Tour is well and truly on the cards.

“Every day I am improving," Alaphilippe said. "I hope to continue like this – my injuries just need time, so there is no need to have any intervention or surgery, which is why I am able to ride again and it was decided with the team that I am OK to come out here [Sierra Nevada] and join the camp. 

"I am trying to be an optimist, but I know I need to take my time and to see how the training is going. If everything continues as it is, then the option of the Tour de France is still open, which is still in my mind, but it is really important that we do not rush anything and we continue to be patient, keep talking with the medical team and take their advice before we decide when I can race again.”

While he remains hopeful to start racing in time, the world champion also recognises he still has a long way to go to be able to compete on 21 stages of the Tour de France. For now, his training is measured, especially considering the broken bones he suffered aren't yet fully healed. 

"The broken bones were still painful," he admitted, "which is completely normal as these injuries take more time to recover, but I was advised that I was OK to start training.

“Of course, I can’t yet be doing the same work as all of the guys here, as I need some time to train to take back my shape and I still have to be careful to not push my injuries so hard. I am super happy to be with the guys though, as we have a great atmosphere and perfect conditions in which to train.”

Julian Alaphilippe has been able to resume "light training" on rollers, three weeks after his heavy crash at Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

The Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl rider suffered a punctured lung as well as broken ribs and shoulder blade as part of a huge incident in the bunch at the Ardennes Monument.

The world champion has undergone further checkups at a hospital in Belgium, according to his team, which have revealed that the pneumothorax he suffered has now completely healed, allowing him to get back on his saddle.

Writing on social media last week, Alaphilippe said that he was "moving in the right direction".

The Frenchman said: "My recovery is going well and the pain is slowly but surely reducing. My breathing is already a lot better and my health is moving in the right direction.

"I hope that my heavy crash will soon be only a bad memory. I really would like to thank all of you for the many kind messages I received over the last ten days, they really touched me."

While is clearly recovering quickly from the incident, there are doubts about the future makeup of his season, with his participation in the Tour de France still in doubt. Being able to train at all is one step, but he needs to find out out whether he can race as normal, at his high level.

His team said on Thursday: "His condition will continue to be monitored before any further decisions and a program for his return to racing is decided on."

Quick-Step team boss Patrick Lefevere has previously said it is "a race against time" to see if he will recover for the Tour, surely his biggest objective of the year.

Alpahilippe has won six stages at the Tour, including one on the opening day last year, and has been on of the key protagonists at his home race in recent years; his absence would not only be a blow to his team, but to the action.

Quick-Step may have other options, like the man who actually won Liège this year, Remco Evenepoel, but it is unknown whether the young man would be thrown into the Tour for the first time this year.

It is understood that it will be clear this month whether he will be able to race in July, or whether his rehabilitation will have to take longer. 

The team statement concluded: "Everyone at Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl would like to thank the team at Herentals for the care shown to Julian."

Julian Alaphilippe has said his health is "moving in the right direction", two weeks after his heavy crash at Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

The Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl rider suffered a punctured lung as well as broken ribs and shoulder blade as part of a huge incident in the bunch at the Ardennes Monument.

In an Instagram post on Saturday morning, the world champion spoke about his condition publicly for the first time. There are concerns that he will not recover in time for the Tour de France, which kicks off at the beginning of July.

The Frenchman wrote: "Hi everyone. After a couple of days off with my family and me, I’m pleased to give you an update about my current situation.

"My recovery is going well and the pain is slowly but surely reducing. My breathing is already a lot better and my health is moving in the right direction.

"I hope that my heavy crash will soon be only a bad memory. I really would like to thank all of you for the many kind messages I received over the last ten days, they really touched me."

Liège was due to be the last race of his spring block, so Alaphilippe is not skipping any big targets in his programme by being out at this stage of the season. However, Quick-Step team boss Patrick Lefevere has said it is "a race against time" to see if he will recover for the Tour, surely his biggest objective of the year,

"The next medical checkups will decide how the rest of my season will look like," Alaphilippe wrote on social media. "I’m already super motivated for what’s coming and I’m so looking forward to seeing you next to the road.

"For now, I try to enjoy as much as I can the time I have with my family."

It is hopeful that the world champion is already breathing better, and he and his team will hope that he can return to his bike as soon as possible.

Alaphilippe struck a tree during the horror crash. The nearest rider to him was fellow Frenchman Romain Bardet, who sacrificed his own result at Liège in order to attend to his countryman.

"I was very scared for Julian," Bardet said on the French radio station RMC after the race. "I fell on the same side and I saw him three metres below me. He told me: 'I can't move, I can't move.' No one was coming.

"These are really scenes you don't want in cycling. I tried to call people, the cars were blocked, it took forever. It was only 4-5 minutes, but it was a really shocking scene. You don't ride a bike to see guys on the ground like that."

As a result of his actions, Bardet was presented with an award by the International Committee for Fair Play ahead of stage one of the Giro d'Italia on Friday.

The president of the CIFP, Hungarian fencer Dr. Jenö Kamuti, presented the certificate for a "Special Fair Play Act Diploma" to the Team DSM rider.

Pre-race favourite Julian Alaphilippe has been forced to abandon Liège-Bastogne-Liège after being caught up in a huge crash. Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl’s world champion was brought down in an incident that occurred on the descent from the Col du Rosier, coming with just under 60km of the Monument remaining.

The Frenchman was seen lying in the trees at the side of the road, with compatriot Romain Bardet, of rival team DSM climbing down to help.

There is little information available about Alaphilippe’s condition, the team tweeting only that he had abandoned the 257 km Monument. 

However, French television, one of whose commentators is Marion Rousse, Alaphilippe’s partner, reported he was in an ambulance, but conscious and complaining of back pain.

Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl had been ever-present near the front of the bunch, sitting just behind Bahrain Victorious, who have done much of the controlling throughout the race.

Alaphilippe himself has a great record in La Doyenne, finishing a close second to Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) last year, and overtaken on the line by Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) while celebrating what he thought was victory the year before.

With no big classic wins so far this year the 2022 spring has been a torrid time for Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl and the team would have been hoping the swashbuckling Frenchman could have turned the opening part of their season around.

UPDATE:

Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl later released a statement on Alaphilippe's condition: 

"World champion Julian Alaphilippe suffered two broken ribs, a broken scapula and a hemo pneumothorax. His condition is stable, but will need to be hospitalised for observation."

World champion Julian Alaphilippe is to miss Milan-San Remo on Saturday after coming down with a case on bronchitis.

Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl confirmed their team on Wednesday morning, and the 2019 winner was missing from the lineup.

Alaphilippe won three years ago, but has also finished on the podium at the race on two separate occasions: 3rd in 2017 behind Michał Kwiatkowski, and 2nd in 2020 behind Wout van Aert.

"No Milano-San Remo for me on Saturday. Bronchitis + fever = X," he wrote on social media.

"Sad to leave the team, especially after a difficult week of racing on Tirreno where I felt the legs were coming back well despite my crash at Strade Bianche. Rest and patience on the program. See you soon."

>>> Paris-Sneeze: The tale of a Race to the Sun struck by illness

In Alaphilippe's place Fabio Jakobsen has been parachuted in, with the Dutch sprinter in red hot form so far this year. It will be his first appearance at the monument, which has been won by sprinters in the past, including his teammate Mark Cavendish in 2009.

Speaking earlier this year, Jakobsen said that he first need to "experience" San Remo before he could work out if he could win it. The Dutchman is preferred over Cavendish despite the latter already being in Italy and racing Milan-Torino on Wednesday.

Davide Bramati, a Quick-Step sports director, said: "Milano-Sanremo is an event we love and which we are always happy to race, but this year we know the chances won’t favour us, as we can’t count on Julian, who we hope will make a fast and complete recovery. 

"We have a young team at the start, featuring also Fabio, who has had a great season so far and will make his first appearance here. Despite not being among the favourites, we are still motivated to do a good race."

As well as Jakobsen, Andrea Bagioli, Davide Ballerini, Mattia Cattaneo, Mikkel Honoré, Florian Sénéchal and Zdeněk Štybar will ride.

He is not the only star to be missing from the startlist due to illness, with Paris-Roubaix champion Sonny Colbrelli also absent with bronchitis. He has finished in the top-10 on four separate occasions.

He was one of the many who dropped out of Paris-Nice last week with health problems, and the Italian said on Instagram that he needs to continue to recover before returning to racing.

Julian Alaphilippe was pretty sanguine after his spectacular crash at Strade Bianche on Saturday, saying that "crashing is part of the sport".

The French world champion was part of a large coming together in the bunch at about 80km into the race when winds blew riders off the road and into each other; his bike was thrown into the air and he was forced to dive out of harm's way.

Speaking at a Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl press event on Sunday, Alaphilippe said he didn't blame anybody for the accident and that he has "pain in the back".

While he was able to continue the race, his day challenging for the win was over, and instead he ended up helping his teammate Kasper Asgreen, who finished third behind an incredibly strong Tadej Pogačar.

Immediately after the race he said: "I don't know what happened at the fall. There was a lot of wind, which made it very dangerous. I think someone went down in front of me, making it impossible for me to avoid the crash. I've hurt my back."

“It was a critical sector, and we knew there would be a strong side wind,” Alaphilippe explained on Sunday. “The team did a perfect job to have me in a perfect position.

“Sometimes in such a strong wind, it was difficult to stay on the bike. At one moment, I lost contact on the gravel, so I had to pull off one leg,” he described in a media call. “I still can come back on, but the Alpecin-Fenix rider came in front of me.”

Images from after the crash show riders across the field next to the Lucignano d'Asso sector of gravel picking themselves up.

“It’s part of the race, and crashing is part of the sport,” Alaphilippe said. “I don’t blame anybody. I am happy I finished the race. We will see tomorrow, it is still a beautiful race you want to win.”

Some riders, including former winner Tiesj Benoot (Jumbo-Visma) were forced to retire from the race after the crash.

Alaphilippe is still on the start list for Tirreno-Adriatico and will ride the opening time trial on Monday.

“I went for an easy ride today,” he said. “I am fine. Of course, I have pain in the back. I need to do massage, and to rest this afternoon.”

His attempt to chase back to the leading bunch left Alaphilippe without the energy to follow Pogačar when he made his race-winning move.

“Even before he accelerated, when I started the important sector, I was already à bloc,” he said. “I was already happy to come back in the bunch from strong support from my teammates. I did the sector full gas, and when Pogačar attacked, I just looked at him.

“I said already that I would start the season not at 100 percent, and I am building my shape to be on the top soon,” he said. “I am pushing for the next days, the next months.”

Deceuninck - Quick-Step has released the first episode of a three-part series entitled 'The Wolfpack Insider: Tour de France', a behind the scenes docuseries following the Belgian team and its riders during their success at the 2021 Grand Tour. 

The YouTube video captures Julian Alaphilippe's opening stage victory and the ensuing celebrations, Mark Cavendish's stage four win and his overwhelming emotion, plus many more unseen moments from the Tour between team members. 

Deceuninck - Quick-Step described the video thus: "A magnificent victory of the World Champion on the opening day which saw Julian Alaphilippe swap rainbow for yellow, Mark Cavendish’s first win at the race in five years after one of the most thrilling finishes of the year and a very happy and emotional team – this movie has it all and is just what you need in this cold winter months as you count the days left until the start of the new season."

While the footage displays Alaphilippe's incredible victory on the first stage of the Tour, it is perhaps his interaction with Dries Devenyns that is the most interesting aspect of the video. The Frenchman thanks his teammate in a hotel room where the team is staying after his win, claiming that without him he wouldn't have been able to attack by himself.

Also included in the opening episode of 'The Wolfpack Insider: Tour de France' is Cavendish's first of his four stage wins in 2021, which was his first triumph in three years. 

Deceuninck - Quick-Step stated on Twitter: "Mark Cavendish's journey at this year's Tour de France was one for the history books, abounding in emotional moments and astonishing performances."

The Manxman's pure emotion is captured, as he sits on the ground crying immediately after the race, head in hands. He is then seen picking up the green jersey, which he eventually won outright at the end of the Tour for the second time in his career, before thanking Michael Mørkøv for enabling him to finish first. 

Patrick Lefevere is also filmed at a team meal after Cavendish's win congratulating him, stating his belief in him had been repaid with that first win. The speech is followed by rapturous applause and a standing ovation from the team's staff and riders, before breaking into song. 

The team will release the next two episodes over the next two weeks. 

Julian Alaphilippe has said that he is keen to go for the overall at the Tour de France before he retires saying "I don’t want to end my time with the regret of not ever trying."

The two-time world champion, Alaphilippe has had yet another exceptional season with the Deceuninck - Quick-Step rider securing a second world title as well as wearing the yellow jersey at the Tour for a third year in a row.

But now Alaphilippe is looking to pick and choose his goals for the upcoming seasons, including the Tour overall title.

>>> Katie Archibald returns to road cycling and old team for 2022 season

Alaphilippe told La Gazzetta dello Sport: "In 2022 I’ll focus on the Classics and the Tour but I want to discover the Giro as soon as possible." 

When being asked about trying to win the Tour, which he so nearly did in 2019, "Never say never," was the answer.

"Why not think about it before the end of my career?" he continued. "There are a lot of questions to be asked and I’d need to speak to the team. But I don’t want to end my time with the regret of not ever trying."

In 2019 Alaphilippe led the race for 14 days, only losing the jersey twice, once to Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo) - who took the jersey from the breakaway on stage six to the top of the Super Planche des Belles Filles before ceding it back to Alaphilippe two days later - and finally to Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) after the Colombian attacked solo on the Col de l'Iseran on stage 19. On that day the general classification times were taken at the top of the Iseran due to mudslides and extreme weather, which forced the race to be stopped before the final climb to Tignes.

"I’ve never raced a Grand Tour thinking of winning it," Alaphilippe said, "so there wasn’t the same pressure. But I can understand why it’s been difficult for [Thibaut] Pinot and [Romain] Bardet," Alaphilippe said. 

"When I was a kid I rode with my friends just for fun, even dreaming about riding the Tour de France seemed impossible. I never imagined I’d even turn professional, not even when I was a junior."

Alaphilippe is continuing with his team into 2022 as the squad changes from Deceuninck - Quick-Step to Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl.

Julian Alaphilippe has downplayed the idea of winning the Tour de France heading into next season, despite his desire to become the first Frenchman to win the Tour since Bernard Hinault in 1985.

Speaking to RMC Radio, the 29-year-old revealed that he hasn't decided on how he'll approach the Tour yet, claiming that he needs to understand the route better before he can set himself clearer objectives. 

Alaphilippe said: "So much can happen in the first week and in the first part of the Tour. It's hard to predict a script and it's something that I really like. When I say that, I don't mean the overall standings. I'm just thinking about making good stages and trying to win. A lot of things are going to happen and that will make the Tour interesting, I hope so. 

"That's what I mean when I explain that I like the Tour route. There are also very difficult stages with the high mountains which will be very complicated. I'm not making too many plans yet. I will wait to recognise certain stages before going to set myself clearer objectives."

The Frenchman won the mountains classification in 2018, as well as six stages in the Tour since his debut in 2016. However, he has suggested that while the yellow jersey win is the ultimate dream, he can't completely disregard any of the other races on the calendar.

"Obviously, people are expecting a next winner of the Tour de France who is French. It would be good and for us too. For French cycling, after so many years, that would be great. I also dream of doing it. But we must not forget that the seasons are long. There are also other races even if the Tour de France is above all else. I also want to be 100 per cent efficient on the Classics.

"Races make me dream, like other Monuments that I dream of winning. There are plenty of things to do. These are different things than racing to win the Tour de France. I am not even able to answer the question of whether I am physically capable of it.

"This is why I do not take the lead too much. I stay focused on the goals I set for myself. If one day I feel that I want to take the start of the Tour de France with the ambition of trying to make the general classification, I will. I want to keep this little bit of uncertainty. This is what makes me want to move on. Sacrificing everything from next year to tell myself that I'm aiming for the Tour, I don't want to."

As a result, the Deceuninck–Quick-Step rider will focus on the Ardennes Classics without competing in the Tour of Flanders, claiming that it's difficult to stay in peak condition for both events. Entering the 2022 season as the world champion, Alaphilippe's decision is a measured one that he hopes will provide him with the best opportunity to win races throughout the season.

While he is taking a tactical approach to the season though, the Frenchman is still keeping his cards close to his chest on his chances for the most coveted prize of all.

"What will change for the first part of the next season is that I will stay focused on the Ardennes Classics," he said. 

"They’re the races that suit me best. Even though I loved discovering the Tour of Flanders, it is a race that I will come back to do at 100 per cent when I’m ready to give my all to go for victory. Next year I will focus on the Ardennes. Then the Tour de France will follow quickly, and we will see."

After soloing to victory with such flamboyant style at the 2021 World Championship road race in Leuven, Belgium, it was naturally only a matter of time until Julian's Alaphilippe's win was commemorated in a custom paint job on his Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7.

The bike gets its debut today at the Milano–Torino semi-Classic – preparation for the final Monument of the season, the ‘race of the falling leaves’, Il Lombardia.

But now let’s take a look at what Specialized’s senior graphic concept designer, Tom Briggs has whipped up for Alaphilippe.

The rugged, disruptive design marks a stark departure from the clean and pristine colourway Alaphilippe was presented with last year.

Explaining the thought process behind the paint, Briggs said: “The [bike was] inspired by the swirling storm of competition. That moment when all of the rider’s effort is being put into the pedals. Their vision starts to blur and their eyes cross."

“If you look at the World Champ top tube logo it’s offset as though their vision was starting to see double."

That notion of a "storm of competition" extends into other elements of the paintwork.

On first glance, you might assume that the almost random waves and channels that texture the tubes are the result of a raw carbon finish displaying its imperfections through a very thin coat of paint.

Instead, these irregular ripples have been created by hand, wrapping the tubes in plastic to disturb the paint and represent the “swirling of thoughts, emotions, training and everything else that goes into that one singular moment of glory as they become the world champion.”

But it’s the front of the bike where the stamp of the world champ is really made known, with a beautiful fade between the colours of that coveted jersey.

With the continuing subtle, swirling patterns, and the almost metallic finish, Alaphilippe’s SL7 has been given a very distinctive flair.

Although it seems that even winning the World Championships isn’t sufficient to bump you up the order list for new Dura-Ace – this SL7 is still spec’d with the now five-year-old R9100 series and its mere 11-speed cassette.