Injuries marked the year 2022 for Julian Alaphilippe. Thirsty for revenge, the Quick Step runner would have imagined a more serene off-season, according to Sports.fr. If the pains that marked his last season are finally gone, the last weeks of the sportsman have all the same been agitated. Reason why Patrick Lefevere began to issue strong criticism of him. “I want him to recover. He owes me a rematch. Julian has a champion’s salary but he must confirm that he is still one. That he is no longer a world champion, I don’t care, but in recent years, he has not won much“, had launched the leader of Quick Step.
When our colleagues questioned Julian Alaphilippe on the criticisms put forward by Patrick Lefevere, the athlete was surprised. Julian Alaphilippe had claimed to have heard a completely different speech. “He never said such things to my face. To be honest, I was a little surprised to read that,” he told the team. “If he had any problem with me, I think he would have spoken to me about it first. So okay… I don’t care at all,” he added.
Patrick Lefevere: “His wife and manager were there”
In response to the words of Julian Alaphilippe, Patrick Lefevere had underlined the fact that the runner and even his wife, Marion Rousse, knew what to expect. “He says we didn’t have this conversation, I say we did. His wife and manager were there,” Patrick Lefevere told journalist Karl Vannieuwkerke. “I told him that I was not happy at all. I understand his illnesses and his falls, but you cannot continue to hide behind that. It was the cold truth”, added Patrick Lefevere, concluding with : “Everyone knows that I don’t go after injured riders, but if there is a high price attached to it, then I can react. Last year he won twice, the previous years three and four times. I didn’t take him into the team for that”.
Julian Alaphilippe and Marion Rousse © Photo News
