Julian Alaphilippe has put the hardest season of his career firmly behind him as he looks ahead to the Tour de France and an opening stage that is almost tailor-made for his characteristics.
The Frenchman endured a brutal 2022, crashing hard at Strade Bianche and even harder in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, where he suffered a broken shoulder blade, broken ribs, and a collapsed lung. He was left off the Quickstep team for the Tour last year but has returned with better form, a positive attitude and the aim of taking the maillot jaune on stage 1 in Bilbao.
When asked during the pre-Grand Départ press conference if the Tour de France organisers removing the intermediate time bonus on the Côte de Pike - which would have been 8, 5 and 2 seconds for the first three over the top - Alaphilippe admitted he had not heard this news.
"I didn't know that," Alaphilippe responded to Cyclingnews. "We did the recon today, and I did already a recon before the altitude training camp, so I can say that I know quite well the stage and I'm just focused on what I hope I can do.
"The goal is always to win a stage. If, of course, if I can have the yellow jersey on the first two days, it's a dream."
Organisers removed the bonus to ensure the stage winner would claim the first yellow jersey, as is tradition. Had they not, a rider who came second at the intermediate sprint and finished second on the stage, where there are 10, 6 and 4 seconds, could have taken the race lead by one second. The extra bonifications are still in play on the final climb of stage 2 on the Jaizkibel before the finish in San Sébastien (and in stages 5, 12, 14 and 17).
Alaphilippe's history in the Tour de France is full of high-level accomplishments: two stage wins and the overall mountains classification in 2018, 14 days in the maillot jaune, two stages and fifth overall in 2019, one stage win and three more days in yellow in 2020, and the first stage victory and one more day in the lead in 2021.
His nightmare 2022 season kept him away from his home Tour, but he is now unequivocal about his joy at returning to the race.
"Of course, I'm looking forward to starting the Tour. I'm just super happy to be here. I think I did everything I could to be in top shape here. So I want to enjoy the special atmosphere that you only feel in the Tour, and we have a strong team with some ambitions, and I want to enjoy it."
One of those ambitions is to use the short but brutally steep Côte de Pike with 10km to go and a short uphill sprint as a launchpad to get back in the maillot jaune. At two kilometres and maximum grades of 17%, it's even tougher than the opening Tour stage in Landerneau, where Alaphilippe won in 2021.
With rivals like Wout van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel and general classification contenders like Tadej Pogačar fighting to take advantage of the bonuses, too, Alaphilippe is aware that taking the stage win will be a big challenge.
"For this, you need a good day, strong legs and, of course, good teamwork. I think everybody is motivated to start the Tour well, and we will see with the climbs and bonification and all of this because first, we have to do a good stage."
After an uncharacteristically dry spell in the classics due to a knee injury, Alaphilippe showed some of the form that propelled him to two world titles, so the signs are pointing in the right direction for the Tour.
"To win a stage in the Dauphiné was really something I was looking forward to. My preparation went well - I did a short break after Liège, I think it was necessary, and all the training was going good. To win the stage in Dauphine was something that makes me happy and more confident for what is coming.
