Attack, dropped, repeat: What is going on with last-place Julian Alaphilippe at the Tour de France?

What’s going on with Julian Alaphilippe? The former world champion riding for Tudor is having a tough year, and that’s evident in this Tour de France. The Frenchman was part of the breakaway group on Stage 11, but didn’t make a dent in the race. His Swiss team isn’t quite sure what to do with him either.

After a few difficult years with Soudal Quick-Step, Alaphilippe made the switch to Tudor in 2025. There, he didn’t return to his former level, but he did manage to win the GP Québec. He also finished fifth at the Tour de Suisse. But this year, he’s a shadow of his former self. He isn’t even in the top 500 of the UCI rankings this year...

This was underscored once again during the Tour de France. The opening stages would normally suit him well, but he finished only 91st in Barcelona and 141st in Les Angles. He also struggled greatly on the way to Le Lioran: he attacked, but fell back less than a minute later. He ultimately finished 134th. In the eleventh stage, he was finally part of the leading group, but he was the first of the four escapees to be dropped on a fourth-category climb.

It was an incredibly painful sight for the world champion from Imola and Leuven. Regarding his collapse on the climb to Le Lioran, he said the following: “I had to give it a try; the pace was incredibly high all day,” Alaphilippe told L’Équipe. “I felt really good at the start. But when it got warmer, I immediately felt the same way I had the past few days—in other words, not great. That’s just how it goes.”

So a day later, he was indeed at the front, but the sight of Alaphilippe falling behind was heartbreaking. His three fellow escapees were caught with six kilometers to go. “Otherwise, the disappointment would have been even greater,” sighs Addy Engels, the Dutch team director at Tudor. His French rider was caught and immediately dropped back. He crossed the finish line last, 7.36 minutes behind winner Søren Waerenskjold.

Engels saw how much Alaphilippe was struggling on the tenth stage to Le Lioran. The heat—and his legs—made it a hellish day for the 34-year-old legend. The Dutchman would therefore have preferred that he had taken it easy on Wednesday. “But on the other hand, given his mentality, it’s no big surprise that he’s showing his fighting spirit, even though he doesn’t feel as good as he’d like to.”

And what does Alaphilippe say about his attacking spirit? With legs like jelly, it’s not wise to attack. He agrees with that himself. “But nothing ventured, nothing gained.” Classic Alaphilippe.