82 races without a win for the French champion: sporting director Engels admits the difficulties but does not lose faith in his champion.
At the 2026 Tour de France, only two riders in the race can boast more stage wins than Julian Alaphilippe and his six victories. Above him, in the history of the Grande Boucle, are only Tadej Pogačar with 24 victories and sprinter Jasper Philipsen with 10. Numbers that speak to the Frenchman's past greatness, but which make the contrast with his present even more stark.
Wednesday's stage, the eleventh with the finish in Nevers, marked his 82nd consecutive race without a win. This losing streak dates back to the first day of the 2021 Tour. The eighth career Grande Boucle is proving to be a veritable ordeal for the Tudor leader.
The Tudor team, participating in the Tour for the second time, is having a disappointing run: Rick Pluimers' sixth place on stage 8 is his only top-10 finish. Alaphilippe, who hadn't won a race since the start of the season, has never finished higher than 78th. The glories of the summer of 2019, when he dominated for long stretches before finishing fifth in Paris, are a far cry from his performance.
"We have to be honest: this isn't the easiest Tour for him," Addy Engels, Tudor's sports director, told L'Équipe after stage 10, where Alaphilippe crossed the finish line 38 minutes behind Pogačar. The Frenchman had attacked in the opening kilometers, but never really posed a threat to the breakaway or the final result.
Pluimers defended his rider: "He keeps trying because it's in his nature. He maintains his fighting spirit." A warrior's soul, however, which isn't enough to hide the abysmal gap between him and the best Alaphilippe of his golden years between 2018 and 2021.
Engels' diagnosis is as merciless as it is effective: "It's as if he only has one or two shots in the drum. Then his legs give out and he's forced to slow down." The most worrying thing? The Dutch sporting director admits he has no explanation: "If we knew why, we could make decisions. He's not ill. He feels good. He has the right mentality; that's never been a problem for him. But he doesn't have the legs he should have."
On Sunday, the eve of his rest day, Alaphilippe seemed to be recovering. Active, combative, almost his old self. Then, on Wednesday, darkness returned. "Clearly today things went in the wrong direction," Engels concluded bitterly.
It's not just Alaphilippe who is disappointing in the Tudor team: Australian climber Michael Storer , seventh in the Giro d'Italia, and Swiss Marc Hirschi , whose performance has plummeted since leaving UAE Team Emirates-XRG 18 months ago, are also failing to make their mark in this race.
Yet, in closing, Engels doesn't give in to the logic of numbers: "As long as we don't know what's happening to him, magic can still happen." The words of a man who believes in his champion, or perhaps someone clinging to the last spark of hope.
Photo: Sprint Cycling Agency
Sports journalist and cycling enthusiast, following professional cycling for over 10 years. Collaborates with FantaCycling to bring you the best analysis and news from the world of cycling.
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82 races without a win for the French champion: sporting director Engels admits the difficulties but does not lose faith in his champion.
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