Julian Alaphilippe has extended his contract with Deceuninck - Quick-Step.
The French superstar has spent his entire career with the team run by Patrick Lefevere, and has signed a new three-year deal with the squad.
Alaphilippe, the reigning world champion, has developed into one of the most exciting all-rounders in the world during his time with the Belgian WorldTour outfit, winning the rainbow jersey, Milan-San Remo, and wearing the yellow jersey in the Tour de France.
On his new contract, the 28-year-old said: “It was the logical thing to do, and at no moment there was the question of doing anything different. I look forward to continuing with this family and I want to say thank you to Patrick and the sponsors for the confidence they have shown in these eight years and continue to show.
“It’s incredible to think of what we achieved together and all the beautiful memories we have. We are the Wolfpack and we race to win. It’s our mentality and one of our strengths, we all go in the same direction, and this is one of the reasons I feel good here and do what I do with immense pleasure. I am looking forward to more great results with Deceuninck – Quick-Step this season and in the coming years.”
Alaphilippe signed with the team in 2014, having impressed with a stage win in the 2013 Tour de l’Avenir.
Since then he has racked up 34 pro wins in the biggest races on the calendar.
Alaphilippe will now remain with the team until the end of the 2024 season.
Deceuninck - Quick-Step CEO Lefevere said: “He joined the team as a fresh-faced 21-year-old, and while we knew that he had talent and ability, to see him grow into the stature within the sport that he has today, makes us very proud. He has achieved so much in that time that it is difficult to begin to list everything, but perhaps the most iconic are the beautiful jerseys that he has held.
“He really caught the public’s attention when he won in the mountains jersey at the 2018 Tour de France, and then having yellow for so long in 2019 and having it again in 2020 was a bit of a fairy tale. And he followed that up last September, with his unforgettable solo win in Imola to take the world champion’s rainbow jersey, which was very emotional for all of us.”
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Lefevere added: “We have seen him grow as a rider but also as a person. People gravitate to him because he has the personality of a leader but also of a fantastic teammate, working hard for the whole team – we saw recently at the Ronde van Vlaanderen just how much Kasper [Asgreen’s] victory meant to him. He is a true Wolfpack member that embodies the spirit of everything we are trying to create and achieve and I am very happy that he will be with us for what we hope will be three more beautiful years."
