The Frenchman was in contention at the pointy end of the race, but luck wasn’t on his side.
Julian Alaphilippe racked up his tenth top 10 finish in a Monument at the end of the fastest Milano-Sanremo in history, which saw the peloton record an insane 46.11km/h average speed over the 288 kilometers that make “La Primavera” the longest race in the world.
With the help of his Soudal Quick-Step teammates Kasper Asgreen and Casper Pedersen, who did an amazing job in the final 30 kilometers of the season’s first Monument, the two-time World Champion was at all times perfectly positioned in the bunch during the key moments of the day: the Cipressa and the fast downhill along the coast, and the Poggio.
Despite being briefly gapped before the top of the final climb, Julian took advantage of his superb descending skills to quickly return to the favourites’ group, which was heading towards the finish at a frantic pace. Alaphilippe remained calm when a flurry of attacks threatened to change the status quo just before the closing kilometer. Unfortunately, his hopes of fighting for a podium place went up in smoke as they passed under the flamme rouge, when he suffered a puncture that stopped him from showing his speed in the sprint.
In the end, it was a ninth place for Julian as Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) won the race, a result that gives a lot of confidence to the 31-year-old, who will now moves his attention to the cobbled Classics.
“I am happy with my race. I felt good the entire day and had an incredible team by my side, who protected me and made sure I was in the right place when it mattered. It’s disappointing that I had that flat, because without it I am sure I could have finished higher in the classification. Anyway, top ten in the first Monument of the year isn’t a bad result, especially as I could feature in the finale despite everything. I can’t wait now for the Belgian races, where I hope to continue my upward trajectory”, an upbeat Julian said after Milano-Sanremo.
Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images
