“The form is good”, assures Julian Alaphilippe who is enjoying a breath of fresh air on the Tour of Italy

After a start to the season without any major shocks, the Frenchman will discover the Italian roads, and is aiming for a victory in the first stage in Turin on Saturday.

Is the fog surrounding Julian Alaphilippe finally dissipating in Italy? The French puncher will discover the roads of the Giro from Saturday May 4, for his 11th professional season. A choice made with his team to try to relaunch a career shaken by falls since his misfortune on the Tour of Flanders, in October 2020.

Almost 32 years old, Alaphilippe has changed his preparation in 2024, starting his season in the antipodes, with a 6th place in the Tour Down Under. We thought that his fall on the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad for his return to Europe, on April 24, would bring back his chronic bad luck on the asphalt for two years, especially since he then ran the Tour of Flanders with a broken knee. Mbut nothing happened.

The Montluçonnais did not particularly shine afterwards, despite an interesting top 10 in Milan-San Remo in mid-April, but no light is red at the start of this Tour of Italy. “I’m in good shape. I didn’t go to an altitude course, but I did a good Tour de Romandie at the end of April, which was important for my preparation. I felt that I was progressing every day”explained the double world champion (2020 and 2021), Thursday, at a press conference.

The 1st step in the viewfinder

He who is at the end of his contract this summer with his long-time training, Soudal-Quick-Step, has set himself a goal before, perhaps, leaving his cocoon, while relations with his manager Patrick Lefevere have become delicate .

That of going for a stage victory on the Tour of Italy, the only one missing from his collection, he who has six on the Tour de France and one on the Tour of Spain. “We’ll see how things go, but I want to give my best so as not to have any regrets. It would be nice to win to complete my collection of stage victories on the Grand Tours, but it won’t be easy.”

With a team built around the sprinter Tim Merlier but without a leader for the general classification, Julian Alaphilippe will have carte blanche, the color he adores, to sail towards the good moves, while behind the big favorite Tadej Pogacar, the opportunities should not not to be missed.

This could be the case from the first stage, Saturday. The bumpy course, with a final difficulty which includes passages at 16% and whose summit is located 22 kilometers from the finish, has everything to please it. “I am aiming for the first stage, which will be a good opportunity to know immediately where I am. We have done the reconnaissance, it will be a difficult and very nervous stage. I know that there will be a chance to go for the pink jersey would be a dream, but it will be very hard and there will be very strong competition.ambitioned the Frenchman.