We already knew that Julian Alaphilippe would not be staying with Soudal-Quick-Step in 2025, and now the folks at Gazzetta dello Sport have confirmed that the two-time world champion will wear the colours of the Tudor Pro Cycling Team next season.
At 32 years old and after a ten-year career in Patrick Lefevere’s “Wolfpack”, the Frenchman leaves behind 2 world championships, 3 victories in the Flèche Wallonne, 6 stages of the Tour de France, 4 in the Itzulia, 3 in the Tirreno, Milan-San Remo, a Clasica San Sebastian and Strade Bianche, a total of 44 victories, almost all of them of high quality. This year he raised his arms in the air at the Giro d’Italia and just finished second in San Sebastian, which shows that he has found a good feeling again after a few very complicated years.
Although Alaphilippe was one of the team’s most successful riders, Lefevere was often unsympathetic to the Frenchman’s decline in performance in recent years, especially since 2022. He used his voice in the newspapers to criticize him publicly, and even went beyond the limits of professional criticism by calling him a drunkard and criticizing Alaphilippe’s partner Marion Rousse. Thus, it seemed clear that Julian and the legendary Quick-Step had to part ways. It will be rare to see him in another jersey.
We will have to wait and see how Tudor continues to strengthen to see if they have a chance of competing in the Tour de France next year. We expect them to receive another invitation to the Giro d’Italia and that the Frenchman will try to shine again in the classics without the pressure of Lefevere’s ear. We will see how he does in Fabian Cancellara’s team, which with this signing shows that he wants to take a leap forward and reach the WorldTour soon;
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