When he got back to his bus after his lap, Julian Alaphilippe found it difficult to hide his enormous disappointment. This 15.1 km route around Saint-Amand-Montrond, on its land, was the first real big meeting of its start to the season. The circuit seemed drawn for its punching qualities. Alaphilippe really wanted to offer himself the role of the winner in front of his audience. He dreamed of it.
The gadin is a measure of a little crazy hope: it finishes 18th at 36 seconds of the Danish Soren Kragh Andersen (Sunweb). By turning his legs on his home trainer, the French cyclist ruminates on his pain. "At the end, with the headwind, I was tough," he says, outside the microphones, to his staff. It has been a long time since I finished like this. And in addition, the sports director told me that I was the best time at the intermediary. He thought I didn't know I was five seconds late ... "
Alaphilippe: "I was good, but not enough"
A few minutes later, his press secretary gave the signal for the interview. The message is then more polished. “It was a good time and a beautiful track that suited me well, he sighs. I wanted to give the maximum. I was born there. So coming back here, to the roots, it felt good. But it is not a big disappointment ”.
This last sentence is obviously not very sincere. The rest is a little more. "The final straight, with headwind, was terrible," he continues. I had a lot of lactic acid in my legs with the bumps before, it was hard. I was hoping to make a big performance. I was good, but not enough. "
From an award, he frankly links his performance of the day to that of his start of 2020. “In the bumps, I did not feel exceptional. A bit like my start to the season: I'm fine, but not yet as I would like. It will come. "
Thibaut Pinot hoped better
It is also possible that Alaphilippe, monstrous in his last time trial exercise when he won the surprise of Pau stage during the Tour, was also seen too good in this discipline. In the general classification, he is now 2'04 behind the German Maximilian Schachmann (Bora), still the leader. For the final victory or the podium, his ambitions are today very reduced. He is thus 56 seconds from the small (1.63 m) Colombian Sergio Higuita (EF Pro), the good surprise of this first part of Paris-Nice. Vincenzo Nibali (Trek) and Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) are also ahead of him. As for the Colombian Quintana (Arkea-Samsic), much sharper than Alaphilippe in the mountains, he is only 34 seconds behind.
For his part, Thibaut Pinot, 26th in time 50 seconds from the winner, also hoped for better. “It's a bit my form of the moment: Neither zero, nor very good. Average, he asserts. There is no miracle. I knew it by coming here. Now we will see this weekend. We will try to make the most beautiful place possible by being as offensive as possible. Saturday will be a battle between the best. And the Sunday stage, we know. There will be movement and a lot can happen. "