Alaphilippe says goodbye to the Tour de France: "There's no more pleasure."

There's one image that will remain etched in the memory of this 2026 Tour de France: Julian Alaphilippe sitting on the asphalt beyond the finish line of Alpe d'Huez, his legs stretched out, his gaze lost in space. It's not just the physical exhaustion of a second consecutive climb on the legendary French mountain. It's something deeper, something that touches the soul of a champion.

"I was with Warren Barguil a little while ago. There were a lot of emotions. We've suffered a lot in this Tour," the Tudor Pro Cycling rider said in a subdued voice, surrounded by a small group of French journalists.

Alaphilippe has lit up the Tour de France for years with his crystal-clear talent: six stage wins, several stints in the yellow jersey, even a fifth-place finish in the general classification in 2019. But that spark that has always characterized the double World Champion seemed completely extinguished atop Alpe d'Huez.

"I'm not thinking about tomorrow. I'm not thinking about anything," he replied when asked about Sunday's final in Paris. "All I want is to hold my son in my arms."

The words that followed left little room for interpretation: this Tour could truly be the last dance for the Saint-Amand-Montrond phenomenon. Despite having a contract with Tudor Pro Cycling until 2027, Alaphilippe made it clear he won't be returning to the Grande Boucle next year, or ever again.

"It's probably my last Tour, so I gave it everything I had, not with many results but without holding back. That's how cycling works," he confided to the journalists present.

Shortly before, on Eurosport , he had already anticipated that he wouldn't be seen again for twelve months. Then, speaking in English, he was even more categorical: "I'm happy to finish this Tour; it will certainly be my last."

Asked if he had already planned that this would be his last Tour, the answer was simple and devastating: "I feel it."

Echoing his words was Barguil, with whom Alaphilippe had crossed the finish line at Alpe d'Huez, finishing in the lower part of the top 30. The Breton rider had already caused controversy in this Tour with his statements about the raising of the level in the peloton: "Before, if you did 6 watts per kilo, you were strong. Now, you're a domestique," he told L'Equipe .

Alaphilippe sounded the same bell: "Yes, yes. You feel it. And I think you see it too. The speeds are crazy, even the average ones." And again: "It's increasingly difficult to get into breakaways, more and more riders want to get into the breakaways because there are fewer and fewer victories to be had. Voila."

When asked if he could still find pleasure in this Tour, Alaphilippe's response was heartbreaking: "No, no. There's no pleasure left." And then, with a subtle but telling play on words: "Okay, it's over. It's time to stop when there's no pleasure left." Technically, he was referring to the interview, but the double entendre was all too obvious.