Alaphilippe adds Strade Bianche and Milan-San Remo to spring Classics goals
17 November 2018 11:06
Julian Alaphilippe has confirmed he will again target the Ardennes Classics in 2019, adding Strade Bianche ands Milan-San Remo as possible early season goals. The Frenchman will kick off his 2019 season in Argentina at the Vuelta a San Juan, staying in South America to ride the Colombia Oro y Paz stage race, where he will go up against Chris Froome and Egan Bernal (Team Sky), Rigoberto Uran (EF Education First) and Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana). Alaphilippe has enjoyed a low-key winter after the huge disappointment of the Innsbruck world Championships, skipping Il Lombardia and the end of season criteriums in Japan and China, instead preferring to spend time at home. His fast sprint finish and climbing ability made Alaphilippe the designated team leader of the French team but he was unable to go with Alejandro Valverde, Michael Woods and compatriot Romain Bardet on the final steep Höll climb.ADVERTISEMENT Despite his Innsbruck disappointment, Alaphilippe had a successful 2018 season with Quick-Step Floors, winning Fleche Wallonne ahead of Valverde, the Clasica San Sebastian, the Tour of Britain and two stages at the Tour de France plus the polka-dot mountains jersey. His friendly nature, bike handling skills and success has made him the new hero of the French cycling fans. On Friday evening he honoured in his hometown of Saint-Amand-Montrond in the Centre-Val de Loire of France. He revealed his 2019 race schedule to local newspaper Le Berry Republicain. "I’ll be back in Colombia for the Oro y Paz Tour but there will be a small variation to my programme because I’ll start with a race in Argentina,” Alaphilippe explained, pointing out that he will use the South America races to work on his form for the spring.
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