Julian is on the verge of bringing Deceuninck – Quick-Step’s best ever GC result at the race.
Julian Alaphilippe took his racing to a completely different level at the Tour de France, where for three weeks he was constantly in the spotlight, thanks not only to his exploits on the road, but also to the immense fighting spirit that is deeply engraved in his DNA, and on the penultimate day, despite the fatigue, he continued to impress.
At the start of the Tour de France’s penultimate stage, a short 59km-long leg from Albertville to Val Thorens (33.4km, 5.5%), one of the longest ascents in the history of the race, Julian knew that remaining on the podium was going to be a difficult task, especially as the gaps in the standings were insignificant considering the difficulty of the climb which took the riders above 2300 meters.
Right from the gun, several teams tapped out a huge tempo, dislodging riders as soon as the bunch hit the first slopes of Val Thorens. Julian Alaphilippe resisted in the yellow jersey until with 13 kilometers to go, when the hard and relentless tempo distanced him. But the former leader wasn’t alone, and helped by an amazing Enric Mas, who devoted all his energy to helping his teammate, set a steady tempo which ensured that Julian won’t lose too much time.
Runner-up at last year’s Vuelta a España, Enric supported Alaphilippe amazingly until with one kilometer to go, when the Frenchman continued on his own and made use of his last resources, showing the same true heart and grit that led to his many wins, en route to finishing just three minutes down on stage winner Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) and salvaging an incredibly remarkable top 5 overall.
Not only Julian, but also sports director Tom Steels was a happy man at the end of the day: “The last three days have been extremely intense. We did our best to defend yellow, and even after we lost it and knew it was going to be difficult, fought until the very last moment. Julian rode admirably and his fifth place is a great way to conclude the Tour. He has been one of the most aggressive riders in the race and contributed to the team’s amazing journey over the past three weeks, so we I can say is chapeau!”
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele/ Getty Images
