He was twice world champion with Quick Step but Julian Alaphilippe had a more difficult 2022 season due to injuries. Lately, he would even have alienated the manager of his team, Patrick Lefévère who swung about his foal: “I want him to recover. He owes me a rematch. Julian has a champion’s salary but he must confirm that he is still one. That he is no longer a world champion, I don’t care, but in recent years he hasn’t won much.”.
“He never said such things to my face“
Words that surprised the runner, who responded in the columns of the team : “He never said such things to my face. To be honest, I was a little surprised to read that. If he had any problem with me, I think he would have told me first. So good… I don’t care at all”.
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And yet, Patrick Lefèvre does not budge. He argues against journalist Karl Vannieuwkerke: “He says we didn’t have this conversation, I say we did. His wife (Marion Rousse) and his manager were there. I told him I was not happy at all. I understand his illnesses and falls but you can’t keep hiding behind that That was the cold truth Everyone knows I don’t go after injured runners but if there’s a high price attached to it, then I can react. Last year he won twice, previous years three and four times. I didn’t take him into the team for that”.
“My relationship with Patrick has always been the same.“
However, on RTL, as he embarks on his sports season this Wednesday, January 25, at the Mallorca challenge, Julian Alaphilippe maintains: “My relationship with Patrick has always been the same in the team so far. So we’ve always been transparent with each other, we’ve always had a good dialogue. Whether it’s when things were going well or when things weren’t going so well“. And to conclude: “The statements that he may have had or that he has will in no way affect my way of working and my motivation”.
AF