During intense races, people always make desperate moves in the name of adrenaline. Sometimes these moves lead to a win or just disappointment. At the final stage of Tour De La Provence, Julian Alaphilippe blew up trying to follow Nairo Quintana for the win.
Although Philippe came seventh overall, he made an error. Still, the French Cyclist has no regrets as he tried to do something better as per the situation. Julian loves impulsive racing, that is why he is one of the few racers that are beloved and are widely watched. Although this type of racing got him the rainbow jersey last year, this time he regrets and wished he could have had a conservative approach.
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As for Nairo Quintana, he showed amazing skill and made his move from the last 4.3km of the 13.4km race. This is when Julian tried to catch up with him, he made errors bus still showed beautiful skill. Although it was a toe-to-toe competition, Quintana left him behind at 3.3km from the summit, and then Ivan Sosa also passed him. His teammate Ilan Van Wilder helped him out but in the last two kilometers, that is when things took a really bad turn.
Julian Alaphilippe said,
I think in terms of [effort] management, I’ve done better. But no, I’m very happy.
It’s a climb that actually suited me pretty well. It was a linear effort, and the speed was high. I think the small error I made was when I tried to follow Quintana. I should have stayed in my own tempo and waited for the last moments, but there you go, I’m happy, I enjoyed it.
I completely blew up in the final kilometers but he [Quintana] was stronger, so no regrets, I’m very happy with my first race of the season.
Although he still needs to take a win for this season, he has bigger goals in mind. He stated,
Honestly, I didn’t expect to be up there already. I need to continue in this good way. Bigger objectives are coming in a few weeks, so I’m satisfied.
This is not the last we will be seeing of Julian Alaphilippe this season. Next up on his schedule is the Drome and Ardèche Classics. After that, he will be going for Strade Bianche and Milan-San Remo. Stay tuned for more exciting updates!
Also Read: Filippo Ganna Disqualified From Tour De La Provence
Featured Image Via YouTube/Tintin Cyclisme
