Alaphilippe and Elegant-QuickStep explore Tour of Flanders parcours - Gallery

Julian Alaphilippe had his first taste of the cobblestones of northern Belgium this week, as he got to grips with the terrain ahead of his Tour of Flanders debut on Sunday. 

Patrick Fletcher

Patrick is a freelance sports writer and editor. He’s an NCTJ-accredited journalist with a bachelor’s degree in modern languages (French and Spanish). Patrick worked full-time at Cyclingnews for eight years between 2015 and 2023, latterly as Deputy Editor.