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Julian Alaphilippe: That was close
Photo: DAVID STOCKMAN / AFP
It almost happened again: Julian Alaphilippe sprinted Benoît Cosnefroy and Mathieu van der Poel away on the home straight and cheered before the line.
But when van der Poel got shot in the last few centimeters, Alaphilippe winced.
Just last Saturday he had a similar jubilation mishap at Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
Should the same happen to him again?
No, said the target photo.
Alaphilippe won the semi-classic "Pfeil von Brabant".
On the 197-kilometer route in Belgium from Leuven to Overijse, the French prevailed against the Dutchman van der Poel and his compatriot Benoît Cosnefroy.
Alaphilippe drove 34 kilometers before the finish with a group in front of the peloton, he then came to the home straight with van der Poel and Cosnefroy, the trio won the race among themselves.
"I'm really happy that I wasn't supposed to start here. It's a race that I've always liked," said Alaphilippe, who only started because the Amstel Gold Race scheduled for Saturday had been canceled.
Last Sunday Alaphilippe gave up the almost certain victory at Liège-Bastogne-Liège shortly before the finish line by cheering too early.
He was then downgraded to fifth due to the disability of the Swiss Marc Hirschi.
Then there was talk of the curse of the world champion's rainbow jersey again.
In cycling, there is a persistent belief that professionals will not win any races or at least significantly fewer races after winning the world championship.
According to "cyclingnews", a study from 2015 has already refuted this.
Alaphillippe, who won the World Cup at the end of September, was able to counteract the superstition - even if the Brabant arrow is less prestigious than the Liège-Bastogne-Liège monument.
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