Our team reached a massive milestone Saturday afternoon, when Julian Alaphilippe powered to victory in Landerneau.
The foundations of this mind-blowing achievement were laid in 2003, when Richard Virenque joined the breakaway on stage 7 of the 2003 Tour de France, dropped his companions one by one and soloed to victory in Morzine. Since then, more and more riders came forward and put their name to the list, producing some truly indelible moments and writing history for the Wolfpack at the three Grand Tours, adding to the stage wins also a plethora of distinctive jerseys.
A total of 34 riders made their way onto the roll of honour for Deceuninck – Quick-Step at Il Giro, Le Tour or La Vuelta, four of them sharing the record for the most Grand Tour stage wins in the team’s jersey: Tom Boonen, Mark Cavendish, Marcel Kittel and Elia Viviani – the Italian being the only rider who managed to claim victories in all three major races for the squad.
In the end, it was only fitting that the Tour de France was the scene of our 100th victory, which Julian Alaphilippe netted after a searing attack on the final climb of stage 1, to the delight of Deceuninck – Quick-Step CEO Patrick Lefevere: “It’s amazing, a performance that makes me extremely proud of our organisation and everyone who is part of it. Winning 100 stages in Grand Tours is something many are dreaming about, but few achieve. It also shows you how time flies by, as it’s incredible to think it’s almost two decades since our first victory. We knew that today suited Julian and he confirmed again what a fantastic rider he is and how he is always ready to deliver on major appointments.”
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
