Settling of accounts not at OK Corral, but on Instagram. Since the declarations of the boss of Soudal-Quick Step in the Flemish newspaper HumoPatrick Lefevere, about his runner Julian Alaphilippe
the reactions are numerous.
Indeed, the leader of the cycling team said, regarding the French rider: “I think there were too many parties and too much alcohol at home. Julian is under the control of Marion Rousse. I spoke to him in November. We were with Marion and her manager Dries Smets. I said : ‘It can’t continue like this. If you do anything wrong again, I’ll fire you immediately’.”
A statement not really appreciated by Marion Rousse
companion of Julian Alaphilippe
. She spoke on her Instagram account this Wednesday, February 21, 2024, the day after the accusations against her companion: “Whatever Mr. Lefevere’s feelings towards me, it is unacceptable to attack our private life as he does. So no, I don’t drink alcohol, ever even. Missed for parties too because with a 3 year old we prefer to be in good shape in the morning. You will also not succeed, as you have already mentioned to me, in stopping me from working to keep myself busy and stay with Julian for the duration of his career. “
Also see: Marion Rousse: her darling superstar, Julian Alaphilippe, soon to be unemployed?
Marion Rousse violently clashed by Philippe Gilbert’s companion
But obviously, this version did not convince everyone. And especially Bettina Gilbertthe wife of the ex-teammate of Julian Alaphilippe, Philippe Gilbert. The latter retired at the end of the 2022 season but worked alongside the French rider from 2017 to 2019. In fact, the partner of the Belgian rider wanted to react to the response from Marion Rousse to Patrick Lefevere, this Wednesday evening.
“It’s called the other side of the coin, Marion, and even then Patrick only displays a third of your man’s behavior”she first wrote in an Instagram post before continuing: “You should even keep a low profile about it… He just says out loud what he thinks and that many people around you think quietly! His paid rider a fortune also owes accounts to his boss. That remains the rule .”
Bettina Gilbert goes even further and is even more violent towards Marion Rousse. “You spend your life talking badly about people behind your microphone (she is a sports journalist and has officiated for several years on France Télévisions for the Tour de France), hidden in your studio and when it comes to taking responsibility, you don’t you’ve never been there. Your post is a reflection of what touched you, in fact, that is to say you and your image.” An attack which only adds fuel to the fire and which should not help put an end to the controversy.
RF