Aurélien Cano, Media365: Published Wednesday, July 1, 2026 at 2:27 p.m.
Julian Alaphilippe (34) will start his eighth Tour de France on Saturday from Barcelona. Realizing he has little left ahead of him, the old Tudor veteran is hoping to return to the stage win that has eluded him for five years.
As for his roller coaster ride, Julian Alaphilippe (34) would certainly like to be able to say that he will be a hit and will compete with the best. Unfortunately, it has been a long time since he was held captive by the man who finished 5th in Grand Boucle in 2019 during an event in which he wore the yellow jersey for fourteen days. Today, with the same determination, but with much more moderate ambitions, the top rider of the 2018 Tour de France would already be pleased with a stage win.
Three days before his eighth appearance, the French puncher, who will compete for the second time under the banner of his new team Tudor (editor’s note: he finished 56th in the last edition), even admits that he dreams of raising his arms in the most beautiful and prestigious stage race on the planet. Something he hasn’t done in five years, in Landerneau on the first stage of the 2021 Tour, which lit up all of Brittany in the first three memorable days of racing.
“It (a stage win) would be of great value to me. She would be a symbol of great resilience because I have lived through some very great moments in my career, but also many difficult periods, especially in recent years and recent months. Winning a stage in the Tour de France remains a dream. If I achieve this, it will mean a lot to me,” admit our colleagues from Cyclism’actu The three-time Flèche Wallonne winner is determined to enjoy as much as possible from this event that he loves so much and which gives him wings every time he takes part. And especially since after each new publication, retirement looms more and more for him.
Alaphilippe: “Very happy and, above all, very motivated”
“I’m enjoying my last races, my last seasons as a professional cyclist. This motivates me even more to give it my all because I don’t want to have any regrets at the end of my career. “I’m very happy with what I’ve achieved so far, but I also know that I still have the motivation to achieve great things and this Tour de France is bigger than ever.”
The former leader of the Soudal-Quick Step team is all the more eager to get to the start line because he feels he is in the best shape of his life, as well as the best motivation. “I feel good. I did my best in preparation, the last few weeks have gone well. It is always difficult to accurately assess the level of my fitness, but I had good signals during preparation and during the last training sessions. I am very happy to be at the start of my eighth Tour de France and, above all, very motivated.”
Thus, the French public should once again be able to support their beloved Alaphilippe. The interested party promises this. “I’m still passionate about what I do. I still enjoy suffering, outdoing myself, trying to be the best version of myself and performing the best I can. That’s what still makes me want to continue.”