Alaphilippe Secures First Tudor Team victory at Grand Prix de Québec
Québec City – julian Alaphilippe claimed victory at the Grand Prix de Québec on Friday, marking his first win with his new Tudor team and a significant return to form for the French cyclist. The decisive moment came as a Tudor team rider suffered a puncture just under two kilometers from the finish line,but Alaphilippe powered through to take the win.
This victory is particularly poignant for Alaphilippe, a two-time world champion (2020, 2021) and three-time winner of La Flèche Wallonne (2018, 2019, 2021), after a series of setbacks. The win represents a “real renaissance” for the rider, who joined Tudor this year after a long career with Quick-Step. His recent seasons have been marred by crashes, including a pneumothorax, broken ribs, and a fractured shoulder blade following a fall at Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2022, and further incidents at the Tour of Flanders in 2023 and Het Nieuwsblad in early March 2024.
“Julian was too explosive for me. He is extraordinary under these race conditions,” said second-place finisher Sivakov,acknowledging Alaphilippe’s strength. This 45th professional victory is the first major success for Alaphilippe as those injuries, a win he described as crucial, stating he didn’t want to finish the season without a victory.
Alaphilippe, under contract with Tudor untill 2027, will next compete in the GP of Montreal on Sunday. the Montreal course, with its greater elevation, is expected to favor climbers like Tadej Pogacar, who finished 29th in Québec, 26 seconds behind Alaphilippe after recovering in the final kilometers.
