{"id":680976,"date":"2026-01-07T23:34:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T23:34:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/680976\/"},"modified":"2026-01-07T23:34:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T23:34:12","slug":"its-maybe-my-last-one-as-simon-yates-retires-julian-alaphilippe-reflects-on-whether-2026-could-be-a-season-of-finalities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/680976\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cIt\u2019s maybe my last one…\u201d \u2013 As Simon Yates retires, Julian Alaphilippe reflects on whether 2026 could be a season of finalities"},"content":{"rendered":"


\nThe reference was to the Road World Championships<\/a> in Montreal, a race that now sits alongside the Tour de France<\/a> and the Ardennes Classics as one of the defining targets of his season.A season built around focus, not fear<\/p>\n

Alaphilippe has been careful not to frame 2026 as a farewell tour. Instead, his language points to clarity rather than caution. His decision to strip back his spring campaign and avoid mixing the Flemish Classics with the Ardennes was framed as a return to what works best for him. \u201cI think I will come back to more of a classic programme from my side, by not mixing the Flemish Classics and the Ardennes.\u201d<\/p>\n

That choice places Liege Bastogne Liege at the centre of his spring, supported by Amstel Gold Race and Fleche Wallonne. It is a deliberate narrowing of focus rather than a step back, something he described in terms of motivation rather than limitation. \u201cI will be more focused on the Ardennes. I like it and give me a lot of motivation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The structure of his season mirrors that mindset. An early start at the Volta ao Algarve, a March block through Italy and the Basque Country, a concentrated Ardennes campaign, then a return to the Tour de France<\/a> before shifting attention towards Montreal.\"Julian<\/p>\n

Alaphilippe co-led the French at the 2025 World Championships in Rwanda with Paul Seixas<\/p>\n

Context shaped by what came before<\/p>\n

The Canadian setting carries particular resonance. Alaphilippe\u2019s lone victory of 2025 came on those same roads at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec, a result he described as deeply personal. \u201cEvery victory is important, but this one was a victory I was really looking for a long time. Of course, I enjoyed it. It\u2019s quite emotional.\u201d<\/p>\n

That success now feeds directly into his thinking for 2026. Rather than chasing volume or novelty, the programme reflects a rider intent on revisiting places and races that still spark something deeper.<\/p>\n

Motivation without an expiry date<\/p>\n

Asked directly about his future, Alaphilippe resisted setting any kind of countdown. Unlike Yates, whose decision to stop was rooted in a sense of completion, Alaphilippe insisted that his own situation feels very different. \u201cIn this moment, I\u2019m not in a situation to think about whether I should continue or not because I know I\u2019m super motivated for this year and for 2027.\u201d<\/p>\n

That motivation, he explained, has only sharpened during his second season with Tudor Pro Cycling Team<\/a>, where he has been given greater autonomy over how his seasons are shaped. \u201cI know how to be professional, but also to have this freedom to choose my races, to choose the way I can do my things, it\u2019s a privilege, and I appreciate it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fire, as he put it, is still there. \u201cWhen you still have this fire in you, that\u2019s a good sign.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether 2026 becomes a season of finalities or simply another carefully chosen chapter remains unresolved. But on a day when one contemporary chose to close the book, Alaphilippe made it clear that he is still very much writing his own.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The reference was to the Road World Championships in Montreal, a race that now sits alongside the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":680977,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4104],"tags":[4230,180976,81082,79,20680,180977,16,15,15200],"class_list":{"0":"post-680976","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-cycling","9":"tag-julian-alaphilippe","10":"tag-simon-yates","11":"tag-sports","12":"tag-tour-de-france","13":"tag-tudor-pro-cycling-team","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom","16":"tag-world-championships"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115856438947751579","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/680976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=680976"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/680976\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/680977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=680976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=680976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=680976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}