Alaphilippe 'relieved' by pressure release despite Flèche Wallonne loss

Defending champion Julian Alaphilippe (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl) finished fourth on Wednesday in Huy
Defending champion Julian Alaphilippe (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl) finished fourth on Wednesday in Huy (Image credit: Bas Czerwinski/Getty Images)

World Champion and three-time La Flèche Wallonne winner Julian Alaphilippe was among the main favourites for the title at Wednesday's race, but despite a strong display from his QuickStep-AlphaVinyl team on the hills of Wallonia he came unstuck on the Mur de Huy, finishing 'just' fourth.

Following an arduous cobbled Classics campaign from the Belgian squad, which saw the QuickStep-AlphaVinyl team fail to rack up any podiums after Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, it was expected that Alaphilippe, who has been in fine form this spring, could salvage a result in the Ardennes.

Dani Ostanek
Senior News Writer

Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, joining in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Before joining the team, they had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly and Rouleur.

Dani has reported from the world's top races, including the Tour de France, Road World Championships, and the spring Classics. They have interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars, including Mathieu van der Poel, Demi Vollering, and Remco Evenepoel. Their favourite races are the Giro d'Italia, Strade Bianche and Paris-Roubaix.

Season highlights from the 2024 season include reporting from Paris-Roubaix –  'Unless I'm in an ambulance, I'm finishing this race' – Cyrus Monk, the last man home at Paris-Roubaix – and the Tour de France – 'Disbelief', gratitude, and family – Mark Cavendish celebrates a record-breaking Tour de France sprint win.