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Julian Alaphilippe showed this Sunday during the Liège-Bastogne-Liège the pressure that comes with being the wearing of the world champion’s rainbow jersey. The Frenchman had every chance of winning ‘La Dean’ in the reduced sprint of the favorites in Liege. However, closed two of his rivals when changing direction in full sprint (he was sanctioned with the last position of the group sprint) and, to top it all, Primoz Roglic snatched the victory over the finish line by celebrating the win early.
After this succession of incidents, Alaphilippe himself wanted to assess the race and how, despite the good feelings he had and the great work of the team, he could not achieve the victory. “I felt good today, I wanted to have a great race and I had a very strong team with me, who did a great job and protected me throughout the day. So, I attacked in the hardest part of La Roche-aux-Facons, I made a selection and we opened a gap compared to the group that was behind. We worked well together, we managed to keep our distance with the pursuers and I felt confident in the last kilometer. “, said in statements collected by the Quick-Step team.
Alaphilippe, who did not mention the ‘sorpasso’ that Primoz Roglic made him on the finish line, related what happened in the final sprint, acknowledging that he had committed the offense for which he was sanctioned although he also stated that it was not on purpose. “I started the sprint 200 meters from the finish line, but then I made a mistake for which I take full responsibility. I am aware that my change of direction caused a problem for the rest of the runners and I apologize for this, but I want to emphasize that I did not. by the way. I accept the jury’s decision and all I can do now is focus on the next races. “
