Julian Alaphilippe repeats rainbow dream and takes aim at Il Lombardia

Julian Alaphilippe of Deceuninck-QuickStep leads the breakaway during the 2021 Primus Classic
Julian Alaphilippe of Deceuninck-QuickStep leads the breakaway during the 2021 Primus Classic (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)

Four years have passed since Julian Alaphilippe last lined out at Il Lombardia, placing second behind Vincenzo Nibali, and the Frenchman has seemed to squeeze more into the intervening period than most riders manage in an entire career. Big wins, near misses and grand gestures have punctuated the most intense phase of Alaphilippe’s life. A second successive world title in Leuven 10 days ago was simply the latest flourish.

In both 2018 and 2019, Alaphilippe’s state of fatigue at season’s end was such that he withdrew from Il Lombardia and ended his campaign prematurely. This time out, despite the rigours of wearing the rainbow jersey all year - and despite a bout of illness that kept him off the bike for four days last week - the Deceuninck-QuickStep rider told reporters that he had arrived relatively fresh for the final appointments of his campaign, at Milano-Torino on Wednesday and Il Lombardia on Saturday.

Barry Ryan
Head of Features

Barry Ryan was Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.