There were many speculations regarding Julian Alaphilippe‘s participation in the upcoming UCI Road World Championships in Australia. But now it is confirmed, The race favorite is headed to Wollongong to defend his title.
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Just two weeks ago at the Vuelta a España, Alaphilippe dislocated his shoulder in a crash. The incident happened on stage 11 and Julian had to be immediately escorted to the hospital. A few days later, he was given the go-ahead to train indoors.
Following his recovery from the crash, Julian feels that he is ready to race in Wollongong. However, QuickStep-AlphaVinyl’s boss Patrick Lefevere is not happy with the decision. He said that it is very risky for him to continue like this. The French Cycling Federation (FFC) has announced that Julian Alaphilippe will be leading the men’s selection.
Patrick has been very vocal about his concerns, he said:
I understand the pressure from what I will call French politics. I’m not paying him to ride for the French team. Becoming world champion is nice, but I prefer him to race in our jersey
Julian will be joined by Valentin Madouas, Quentin Pacher, Florian Sénéchal, Christophe Laporte, Bruno Armirail, Rémi Cavagna and Pavel Sivakov. The season 2022 has been hard for Julian so far but he is hopeful about successfully defending his rainbow jersey at the championships.
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Also Read: Elisa Balsamo All Set To Defend Her Title At The UCI Road World Championships
Featured Image Via YouTube/ Tintin Cyclisme
