Julian Alaphilippe remains in yellow headed into the second rest day of the Tour de France, but several rivals cut into his lead.
The Frenchman said after crossing the finish line of stage 15 that he’s not used to defending the lead in a stage race, but he’s learning from his mistakes.
“I expected it to be difficult. I’m not disappointed, I’m just completely spent. It’s not a surprise for me to crack against the best climbers, especially after yesterday’s stage, where I really went deep into my reserves,” Alaphilippe explained.
“I’m cooked. It was a stage that caused a lot of damage. It wasn’t one thing in particular that put me in difficulty – it’s more the last two weeks, all I’ve done, all I’ve given… I’m starting to pay for it.”
“We can’t always do the race again, but at that point, when he attacked, I felt good – it’s only later that I didn’t feel so good,”
“I’m not used to defending the lead in a stage race and I’m learning from my mistakes, but I don’t think that today I made a mistake. It’s not a surprise for me to have lost some time, I had stiff legs after yesterday’s stage. It’s mission accomplished for me. In the bus this morning, the goal was to retain the yellow jersey. I’m still here, the dream goes on. I’m not carried away by having the yellow jersey, I’m just enjoying it, as usual.”
Where can I find a copy of this print? Would love to purchase a poster of Alaphilipe. thank you.