Julian Alaphilippe reveals his Tour of Flanders dream, calls Strade Bianche 'favourite race'

Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal–Quick-Step) has opened up to Eurosport about his “dream” of winning the Tour of Flanders as he declared this weekend’s Strade Bianche his “favourite race”. The French puncheur is hoping to bounce back this season after seeing his 2022 derailed by a horror crash at Liege-Bastogne-Liege last April, which left him with a collapsed lung, fractured shoulder blade and two broken ribs. Ad He opened his Classics campaign with victory at Faun-Ardeche last week, with his first major outing arriving on Saturday on the famous white roads of Tuscany at Strade Bianche, where he won the title in 2019.

After completing the Italian swing, he will shift his attention to the Flanders Classics and, in particular, the Tour of Flanders (known locally as Ronde van Vlaanderen) on April 2. CyclingLefevere renews Alaphilippe criticism — 'Can't keep hiding behind illnesses and falls'24/01/2023 AT 20:25 “The Tour of Flanders is just behind Strade Bianche in my favourite races,” Alaphilippe told Eurosport France. “The one I dream of winning of course is Flanders first because I have already won the Strade Bianche.

These are races where there is an atmosphere. “Especially the Ronde in Belgium… That's why I ride a bike, it's to win these kinds of races that transcend the sport by their difficulty, their history, the crowd. You feel that if you win that, it's something else.

If I win Flanders, I'll be happy!” However, the 30-year-old insisted he would not change his physique to compete on the Belgian cobbles – where heavy, powerful riders typically enjoy an advantage. “I don't want to gain weight to be better on the cobblestones,” he said. “I remain with my qualities.