"Tadej just had his breakfast," says Alaphilippe, who shares his opinion as the Pogacar of his time: "It makes me sad"

There were times when Julian Alaphilippe determined what happened in the peloton. When he attacked, only a few riders often left with him. He was the Tadej Pogacar of the bunch from 2018 until his second world title in Flanders in 2021. How different will the situation be in 2025? Alaphilippe has left the comfort zone of Soudal-Quick Step and is starting what could be his final chapter with the ambitious Tudor team. IDLProCycling.com spoke with the 32-year-old French rider about his transfer, Pogacar, cycling in 2025 and himself as a dying breed.

Alaphilippe had faded somewhat in recent years, mainly due to a huge wave of crashes. When he started the year in the rainbow jersey in 2022, no one expected that Alaphilippe would only win seven times in three seasons from that point on. One giant crash after another quickly followed. Team manager Patrick Lefevere grew impatient, and Remco Evenepoel slowly took over The Wolfpack as the new leader.

"It was a good time in my career for a change," Loulou explains. "When I came into contact with Tudor, I liked that they wanted me. The team's philosophy appealed to me, as did the structure in place despite the team being so young. They know where they want to go, so I am motivated and happy with my decision. I am looking forward to this new adventure."

The fact that Fabian Cancellara's Tudor project is not yet assured of a WorldTour license in the coming years does not bother Alaphilippe. "It was about my feelings and wanting to enjoy cycling in a good structure. The Tudor project matches what I want. Of course, I can see the differences, but I'm not here to compare. I was happy at Soudal-Quick Step and with the career I had there. Now I'm here. Everything is new, but I like that. This is what I needed."

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Alaphilippe, so familiar in the blue and white of Soudal-Quick Step

Tour de France without Julian Alaphilippe?

Alaphilippe speaks of a period with 'so many emotions' in his final years at Soudal-Quick Step. He had too much burden in his backpack, which had to be emptied. It is new at Tudor but undoubtedly feels like a fresh start, even if he may not start all the big races in his first months. "We can't talk about races yet, so I'm focused on my training and the first race of my season."

The puncher will start in the Figueira Champions Classic in Portugal on Sunday and then move on to the Tour of the Algarve. Tudor has also been given a wildcard for Paris-Nice and will be there for the Ardennes classics. Alaphilippe will see what else comes up later. "We hope we can ride all the races we can dream of. It would be a dream to go on the Tour with this team, but at the moment, we are focused on where we are."

A Tour de France without Alaphilippe in 2025? We can hardly imagine it. Yet it is a possibility. "The Tour is on our mind, but it is far away. First things first, let's not get ahead of ourselves. And it would also be great if we could do all the classics, for example, we are looking forward to that. The World Championships? They say it will be a super-tough course. The harder the course, the easier it will be for Pogacar, so I'm not thinking about that yet," he jokes.

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Alaphilippe in his new Tudor jersey

Alaphilippe not worried about interaction with Hirschi at Tudor

At Tudor, Alaphilippe will be working with Marc Hirschi as his lieutenant. The 26-year-old climber is an ambassador for Switzerland and six years younger than his new teammate. However, we are told that they will get along just fine. "It's a luxury problem. I hope we get a lot of wildcards so we'll both have lots of opportunities. The team's goals have priority, and Marc and I are intelligent and mature enough to do what we must."

Racing with and for each other, not against each other. "There will be no battle between us even though we have the same qualities. That can only be good for the team. We discussed it at a certain point that we would like to ride together on the team. It's good for the team to have two options; you have to see something like that in a positive light. The way I see it, Marc can take the pressure off me, and I would like to see him perform well."

It is a different situation than Soudal-Quick Step, where Evenepoel is above the pack and does not race with Alaphilippe. "I never had any problems riding with Remco on the team. I can be a leader, I like that, but I also get a lot of pleasure from helping my teammates as part of the team's success. I had never had any frustrations, not when I performed poorly and others did better. That's how life is. Deep down, I consider myself an attacker and a leader; that will never change. Here, I have the space to be that."

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Evenepoel (left) and Alaphilippe (right) no longer together on one team...

Alaphilippe must go with modern cycling, with a touch of the past

So he will attack because Alaphilippe has always done that. He had great success for years and hoped to rediscover it with Tudor. "My goal is to attack here; that's why I love cycling. I work hard to reach my best level, and I can enjoy the race when I do. A lot has changed in cycling, but I have always found it essential to stay true to myself. That is becoming increasingly difficult in modern cycling."

To do that, Alaphilippe must also work harder than ever and keep up with the latest technologies and ideas. "I am changing too, but I try to keep doing what I have always done. You have to develop yourself, and I think I can still do some fun things on the bike. I would no longer be there if I no longer believed in that. Cycling needs panache and flair, something that goes off the beaten track. Metrics have been given a more prominent place, and the limit is being explored. But I like to race on instinct, and I think I will keep doing that until I stop."

He has his numbers analyzed by his coach. "I prefer to listen to my feelings and my body. I can break all my records, but the most important thing is how I feel on the bike, how I race, and the results that come with it. Nowadays, there is less room for joy and freedom; it's all about calculation. It saddens me that some riders don't look at the result after the finish but only at their performance. To me, that's not cycling; cycling is about attacking, entertainment, and getting results."

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Can Alaphilippe find his old self again?

Beating Pogacar will be tough, says Alaphilippe

However, achieving results is difficult nowadays, with phenomena like Tadej Pogacar in the peloton. "Tadej was spectacular in 2024, and I hear he is only at 20 percent of his potential, that he just had his breakfast,†Alaphilippe laughs. 'It will be difficult to beat him in a race, but we are here to do what we have to do, and fortunately, there are many more like him. I am focused on what I have to do and can do, and beating Pogi is not one of those things for me."

As a two-time world champion, Alaphilippe is proud of a champion like Pogacar. "But Tadej is a phenomenon, one of the best cyclists in the world and perhaps the best. It's wonderful for the sport to have Pogacar as a dominant world champion; there is no better." Changing of the guard, then. "This could be the last chapter of my career; who knows? To be honest, I'm not thinking about it yet."

At 32, that's not surprising. "I'm looking at it season by season, and Tudor has offered me a three-year contract. I feel the motivation here to work with me, and I am motivated for this project and the long term. When my contract expires, I will be 35, so I would be happy if I were still riding at the top level. We'll have to see. Fortunately, I am also a father. I have had bad moments since the birth of my son, but then I realize that I have a family, and that also motivates me to come back after a crash or a bad moment. It also makes me enjoy cycling more."

Bram van der Ploeg (Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email: [email protected])      

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