Alaphilippe skips French Championships to focus on a few carefully selected Tour de France stages

So far, 2026 hasn’t been Julian Alaphilippe’s year. The two-time world champion has seen little action, and unfortunately, last week’s Tour de Suisse was no exception. And yet, the Tour de France is just around the corner. In the run-up to it, the Tudor rider is also skipping the French national championships.

Alaphilippe hasn't been in top shape all year, and it was no different at the Tour de Suisse. Before that, he finished fifth in the GP Gippingen. “Physically, he was one of the strongest riders there. He was able to keep up with a rider like Mathias Vacek in the final stretch. He finished fifth; it wasn’t a WorldTour race, but the level of competition was high,” team manager Sylvain Blanquefort told DirectVelo on Saturday.

On the second day of the five-day race in Switzerland, he was part of the leading group. “He still lacks a bit of consistency on some days. He was average on the first day, but the second day was good... He’s on the right track. His week was promising. The goal is to regain his form and rediscover his enjoyment of cycling. There are still ten days to go before the start of the Tour,” said Blanquefort.

It must have been a bit of a letdown, then, when Alaphilippe didn’t start Sunday’s queen stage. The Frenchman himself had already said that this was a very important week for him in the run-up to the Tour. “I hope to finish well and then recover as much as possible. It’s a tough race, as always, but especially this year with the heat,” he said on Saturday.

Precisely because it was such a grueling race, his team announced that Alaphilippe will not be competing in the national championships this year. “The Tour de Suisse is shorter than usual, but the goal remains the Tour de France. It’s important for him and for the team,” said Blanquefort.

Because, as the team director himself knows: “He wants to do everything right to be ready for the Tour.” The goal there is a stage win—which would be his seventh stage win in the Tour. Or, in Blanquefort’s words: “The goal is to take advantage of the days when he feels really good and has set his sights on winning, and to take it easier on other days.”