Frenchman outsprints elite group for first Monument victory
Julian Alaphilippe takes a look at his new trophy (Image credit: Getty Images)
The yearly seven-hour battle between the sprinters and puncheurs that is Milan-San Remo has once again come and gone, and for 2019 we can strike another one up to the latter – the third in a row for that most versatile of rider groupings.
Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quick Step) was the man to continue the mini-streak on Saturday afternoon, pulling off a masterful display in the finale. The Frenchman was ably aided by his powerful Quick Step team on the final climb of the day, the legendary Poggio, before launching over the top.
He wasn’t alone though – far from it, in fact. The best of the best had joined him, with the last two winners Michał Kwiatkowski (Team Sky) and Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) up there, along with legends of the modern era Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), among others.
After navigating the potential treachery of the Poggio descent, there were attacks to deal with, first in the form of Matteo Trentin’s (Mitchelton-Scott) bid and then when the young Slovene Matej Mohorič (Bahrain-Merida) went for glory in the final kilometre.
But they were dealt with, and then it was Alaphilippe who was sitting pretty as the finishing line, decked in the garish orange of race sponsor NamedSport, loomed. First he sat on Sagan’s wheel, then Oliver Naesen’s (AG2R La Mondiale), then nobody’s.
That was the race, the first Monument victory of Alaphilippe’s five-year-old pro career. Naesen trailed in second, while Kwiatkowski earned a place on the last step of the podium. 87 seconds later, Alaphilippe’s teammates crossed the line together, hailing a masterclass.
Watch highlights of the action above.
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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.
