After three brutal weeks of racing, most riders still in the Tour de France will be relieved to roll (or bus) into Paris on Sunday. Perhaps none more than Julian Alaphilippe.
Tudor’s two time world champion rolled across the line Saturday, hand-in-hand with fellow Frenchman Warren Barguil. The two veteran campaigners were far off their best results at the Tour, but neither seemed too bothered once across the line.
In interviews post-stage, Alaphilippe was calm and measured when he told reporters, “I feel happy to finish this Tour, it’s certainly my last one.”
There was little sadness, and little of the frustration seen on the faces of others left wanting more after three weeks. While it wasn’t the easiest Grand Tour for the Tudor racer, he seemed quite at peace with the idea that Sunday might be his last Tour de France stage ever, not just for 2026.
“I’m not thinking about tomorrow. I’m thinking about nothing at all,” Alaphilippe said when asked about any ambitions in Paris. “All I really want is to hold my son in my arms.”
It is the end of an era for the Frenchman and for the Tour de France. He ends his run at the Grand Boucle with six stage wins, a fifth overall in 2019 and several stints in the yellow leader’s jersey. A dream career by any measure.
Alaphilippe and Canada’s Derek Gee on Col De Sarenne during Stage 20 racing. Photo: Sirotti
This year’s Tour results were far from those career highs.
“It’s maybe my last one, so I made the most of it, I gave everything, not with a lot of success but I didn’t leave anything out there. That’s how cycling is,” Alaphillipe told a small crowd of reporters.
Despite that, the reason that this year marks the end is simple, and straightforward.
“There is no enjoyment there anymore,” Alaphilippe says. “It’s OK, it’s over. It’s time to stop when there is no more enjoyment.”