While Julian Alaphilippe clearly expressed his ambition to put on a new yellow jersey at the start of the Tour de France, Marion Rousse sees another runner shining.
Julian Alaphilippe seems to have found colors as the Tour de France approaches. Suffering during the classics campaign, the French runner showed a completely different face on the Tour de Switzerland, the last test gallop before the big loop. If he got somewhat missing during the final time trial, letting the podium escape to finally finish in fifth place, his good resistance in the climbs allows him to imagine shining on the large loop.
“It’s been a long time since I felt so well. It’s really positive. We work hard to be in good shape, but when it happens, it is sure it’s nice, he said to leave the Tour de Switzerland. It is necessarily positive. I worked hard to reach the best possible form for the Tour de France, and this week really reassured me. I made a lot of effort, and I did not necessarily expect to have to defend such a good place in the general classification. »»
Marion Rousse rather sees Remco Evenepoel
And even before the start of the Tour de Switzerland, the Frenchman did not hide his ambitions for the Tour de France, and in particular that of taking the yellow jersey again “It’s a dream, of course. But it is also a real opportunity. I have already known this emotion, I know what it represents. And for the team, which will experience its first participation, it would be incredible ”, he had confided.
But for his partner, Julian Alaphilippe will have to deal with serious competition and imagines another runner in yellow during this first week. “I imagine a first week when Remco Evenepoel could, on a course that advantage, endorse the yellow jersey”, she entrusted in an interview with Divert.
For the rest, the star consultant of France Télévisions sees an undue surprise a duel at high altitude between Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard. “Then it will undoubtedly be Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard over the last fifteen days, with very difficult Alps. It is a somewhat atypical course. In recent years, we have entered the mountain from the fourth or the fifth day. Here we wait longer. There is little chance for sprinters as a rule ”, she added.
