From Humble Beginnings

Julian Alaphilippe has emerged as France’s best hope of a Monument win, but his journey to the top level hasn’t been easy

- Gregor Brown

Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe runs his hand along the top tube of his team-issue Quick Step Floors Specialized before climbing aboard for the last race of the season in China. He is now one of the team’s stars, but not so long ago he struggled to save money even to afford a simple bike, let alone the superbike he now races to Monument podiums and Grand Tour stage wins.

“My first race was when I was 13 and that was a big step because I come from nothing,” the 25-year-old from the small village of Montluçon in central France tells CW. “My parents did not have a lot of money to buy a bike. Now, I don’t have to pay for my bikes but I really remember having to pay for everything and that’s something you’ll never forget. I remember being with my father in the car going to that race thinking how important it would be for me to win.” He needed those winnings to buy equipment.

He describes his upbringing as “modest”; his father was a musician and his mother stayed at home to look after him and his two brothers. “I was always on the bike when I was young and I just began to do some races and everything came along quickly. Honestly, I only began to think about cycling and becoming a professional when I was at Continental level,” he recalls.

That realisation happened while Alaphilippe was racing for the Armée de Terre team — where his younger brother Bryan, “who sprints better with his big thighs”, also raced up until the team’s collapse at the end of this year.