Paul Rouget, Media365: Posted Sat Sep 24, 2022 at 11:17am
The two-time world champion, Julian Alaphilippe, although he is not 100% fit after his fall in the Vuelta, intends to do the hat-trick in Australia on Sunday. But there will be competition…
Has rabies”. He landed in Australia in business with his teammates, and not in economy class like the pilots of the France team, Julian Alaphilippe is over-motivated ahead of the world championship road race in Wollongong on Sunday. After a difficult season marked by several falls, including an -impressive- in Liège-Bastogne-Liège that cost him his participation in the Tour de France, the current two-time world champion believes in the triplet, although he is not at the 100% after having dislocated his right shoulder in the Vuelta.
“We cannot change the course of things. Physically I know that I haven’t had the ideal preparation and when I say that the head can make the difference, it’s that you don’t have to think about it, you have to look”. ahead. I’m in a different frame of mind than the last few years, where I came in with perhaps more confidence and a completely different preparation.. But now I am ready to give everything, he explains in an interview with The team.
“It is limited if they bury me”
And the Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl pilot acknowledges that this year is, at the moment, “bad. I know, but it’s on the limit if they bury me. There were many times when I wanted to put my bike in the garage and move on to the next year. No, I’m still here.. He could have told me, I don’t care, I’ve already won the World Cup twice, I’m finishing the season quietly in Italy and next year, I’ll reset the counter to zero. But no, I’m hungry, I’m angry.”
In search of a third consecutive world champion title, which only Peter Sagan has achieved in history, Alaphilippe says that he would also be satisfied if another Frenchman wins on Sunday (“It would be magical”). We think in particular of Benoît Cosnefroy, a last minute guest who replaced Rémi Cavagna. But the competition will be tough. Because if many leaders are missing, starting with Jonas Vingegaard, the Belgians Wout van Aert and Remco Evenepoel, the Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel or the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar are also favourites. Answer Sunday…