Almost a month and a half after his second place in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Julian Alaphilippe will be back at the start of a cycling race on Sunday in Tour de Suisse.
In recent weeks, the Frenchman has been training at altitude in the Sierra Nevada to be in the best possible condition at the start of the Tour de France.
“It’s always a matter of waiting to see how the body reacts,” Alaphilippe said. “The past week has mainly been dominated by rest for me. We always have to wait and see what that does to the legs.”
“It would make sense if I had to get into the rhythm a bit in the first days, but I hope I can do well here. I’ve already looked at the route book and found some tailor-made rides here. But with Michael Matthews and Mathieu van der Poel, here are some riders who can win here. A lot will depend on the form of the day.”
It is the first time that Alaphilippe rides the Tour de Suisse. In the past, the Deceuninck-Quick-Step rider always opted for the Dauphine.
“I am also someone who likes to discover new races, so I like to start here. And after this race I can immediately move on to the French Championships and the Tour. That seems ideal to me.”
