‘When you still have the fire in you, it’s a good sign’ – Julian Alaphilippe hungry for 2026

Like Simon Yates, who surprised everyone by announcing his early retirement on Wednesday, Julian Alaphilippe is also 33 and has a successful career behind him. The Frenchman knows his best years, of Monument wins and rainbow jerseys, are perhaps behind him, but he is still hungry and still happy to start a new season.

“I’m clearly nearer the end of my career. I still have two years on my contract, but it’s clear that I have less time left. But I still really have a lot of ‘grinta’,” Alaphilippe said, using the Italian word for grit and determination to highlight his sense of motivation.

Alaphilippe sat centre stage at the Tudor media day in Moraira on the Spanish coast. He was flanked by new signing and cobbled Classics leader Stefan Küng and stage race leader Michael Storer.

The Australian will target the GC at the Giro and then probably stages at the Tour. Küng will also ride the Tour and inspire Tudor in the opening Barcelona team time trial. Alaphilippe will target Strade Bianche and then the Ardennes classics, with the Tour still a distant but much loved summer objective.

“I’ll be back to more of a Classics programme, not the Flemish Classics, but focusing on Ardennes,” he confirmed.

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“I’ll start in [Volta ao] Algarve, then target Strade Bianche, it’s my favourite race. Then I’ll ride Tirreno-Adriatico, Milan-San Remo and then Itzulia Basque Country before the Ardennes. The World Championships are also a goal. I like the Montreal circuit and it could be the last chance for me.”

Alaphilippe’s first season in Tudor’s red and black colours was disrupted by illness in key moments, especially in the spring but he fought all year, often worked for his teammates and won the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec.

Looking back, he highlighted the often hidden, team-wide benefits of his 2025 season.

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“I was actually super happy about last season. It was something new and I enjoyed every aspect of the change,” he said.

“Personally, I was a bit disappointed to sometimes have setbacks. I got sick at important moments before big goals but in general, I was happy to ride and race, and help the team, too. Everything went better than we expected.

“The Tour and Quebec were two big moments, but I want to look at the season as a whole. We fought every day at the Tour and it’ll help for 2026.”

Alaphilippe is often seen as the joker in the pack, the entertainer with panache. At Tudor, his positive mentality and experience is also highly valued. He is a team player and inspires others.

“It’s natural, you know, I’m just a positive person,” he said.

“I like to help people. That doesn’t mean that I know everything or I can do everything, but I just like to share my experience. I love to give myself, I’m just happy if it can help. It’s always done with pleasure, because I love to be with people. I love to go in a good direction as part of a team.”