Julian Alaphilippe said on Friday that he could not imagine racing the Tour de France this summer, despite the recent appeal from his leader Remco Evenepoel, but will aim for participation in the Olympics on condition of
“returning to 100%”
.
"No. It has been planned for a long time that I go to the Giro (in May) which I am happy to discover
,” he declared, questioned by the press two days before the Tour of Flanders. At the beginning of January, the manager of his Soudal-Quick Step team, Patrick Lefevere, said that the Frenchman would not do the Tour (June 29-July 21) this year. But he then opened the door after Remco Evenepoel declared, on the evening of Paris-Nice, that he
“would like to have Julian with”
him on the Grande Boucle.
“I didn’t have the start to the season that I was hoping for”
“That (the Tour de France) doesn't mean anything to me, I think it would do a lot”
after the Tour of Italy in May, underlined
“Alaf”
, relaunched on the subject by
RMC Sport.
On the other hand, it would be
“a source of pride”
and
“a goal”
to participate in the Olympic Games in August, he added.
“But it's above all a goal to be 100% to go there because I'm not going there to have the French team t-shirt. Right now, I don't feel 100%
,” he said.
“I didn’t have the start to the season that I was hoping for. I was off to a good start, with sensations that I hadn't experienced for a while on a bike.
But my fall on the Strade Bianche
(March 2) gave me a blow in the back of my head. Now it's okay, but the legs are still far from extraordinary. I know there will be no miracle on Sunday
. ”
“It remains a goal to one day win the Tour of Flanders but I have the impression, when I see the last few weeks, that it is a dream that is getting further and further away. There is a big favorite which is Mathieu van der Poel. I come to achieve the best possible result
,” he explained.
As for the recurring criticisms of Patrick Lefevere, the Frenchman declared that it bothered him
“for Marion (Rousse, his partner) who asked for nothing and does not like to be in the stories”
.
“I don’t care, I’ve learned to detach myself from it. I'm tired of all this. The only thing I can do is do my job well and keep my son healthy. I give my best. Every morning, I go to train hard
,” he insisted.