Cycling: Julian Alaphilippe/Patrick Lefevere, stormy connections

Julian Alaphilippe. MAXPPP – DAVID PINTENS

No Tour de France and a new round of criticism from his boss, who criticizes his way of racing "not always intelligent": the last season at Soudal-Quick Step of Julian Alaphilippe gets off to a stormy start, even if the runner wants to clear up any controversy.

It's very far away, at the Tour Down Under in Australia, where he ran ten years ago in his very first race for the Belgian team, which the Auvergne puncheur attacks from Tuesday its season, once again that of relaunch after a still average 2023 vintage.

Certainly, it was better than in 2022, when falls and illnesses had devastated him. There were two successes, including a stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné. But, for the rest, not much to sink your teeth into, especially on the Tour de France where we will certainly have seen a lot of it up front, especially at the start of the race. step.

Sauf retournement de situation, le double champion du monde Julian Alaphilippe ne sera pas présent sur la Grande Boucle l'été prochain, une décision prise en commun avec son équipe Soudal Quick-Step, avec laquelle il est en fin de contrat. https://t.co/eUYzL1xCUd pic.twitter.com/n1XqOdKguj

— L'ÉQUIPE (@lequipe) January 10, 2024

We expect better from a double world champion, winner of six stages of the Tour and Milan-Sanremo, him the first. "It was a little difficult last year", he explained in the newspaper L'Equipe. The last two seasons have been marked by his bad luck on the road. They were also punctuated by regular barbs from his boss, Patrick Lefevere.

Last year, the 69-year-old Belgian manager regretted that Alaphilippe "eat up a large part of (his) budget" without great results, pointing to the significant salary (estimated at 2.3 million euros per season) of the Frenchman.

"He only sees through Remco"

Tuesday, in Calpe (Spain), where the team presented itself in front of partners and media without Alaphilippe having already left for Australia, he gave it a new look. First by announcing his probable non-selection for the Tour, a heartbreak for the French public who have made him one of their darlings. Then by castigating his "style of impulsive runner, not always intelligent, that people love" but whose plume would ultimately be ineffective.

"It's not a disappointment not to go to the Tour, it's a choice on my part confirmed by the team. It's not a non-selection and it's not a punishment at all, assured Alaphilippe. But, in the community, some regret a lack of respect towards undoubtedly the finest track record of French cycling of its generation.

Remco Evenpoel. EFE – Manuel Bruque

“You don't say that about a rider who saved your team for several years,” says Anthony Perez, Cofidis rider. "In fact, he (Lefevere) only sees through Remco." In fact, the Belgian team now seems to be betting everything on the Belgian prodigy Remco Evenepoel who will discover the Tour in 2024 with a squad dedicated to his sole service.

"Full face"

At "Alaf", the crumbs, even if they are beautiful with the main objectives being the Tour of Flanders (March 31), the Giro (May 4-26), which&# 39;he is happy to discover, and the online race of the Games under the jersey of the French team… if he is selected in the four.

The fact remains that he has been "had a blast for two years", which has awakened the appetite of several teams, notably French ones, to recruit him, while his cousin Franck, who has been his coach at Quick Step since 2020, has already left the team at the end of the season, as have two riders he was close to, the Frenchman Rémi Cavagna, who left for Movistar, and the Belgian Dries Devenyns ( end of career).

TotalEnergies in particular has not hidden its desire to bring in a runner who will have made France dream for several summers by wearing the yellow jersey for a total of eighteen days.

Patrick Lefevere MAXPPP – JASPER JACOBS

"He had the opportunity to leave because several teams sought to recruit him, insists Lefevere. I had discussions with him. We reached an agreement. He said to me: 'Patrick, give me one more winter.' Now it's up to him to show it. I think he is still capable of producing results."

The two men will therefore live together for another season before their paths, barring a twist, separate for good.