Far from the Lotois time trial between Lacapelle-Marival and Rocamadour on behalf of the 20th stage of the Tour de France, Julian Alaphilippe has brilliantly signed his return to competition.
In poor shape, the French world champion had been excluded from the 2022 edition of the Grande Boucle by the boss of the Quick-Step team, Patrick Lefevere.
This time, the 30-year-old runner seems to have regained the full extent of his abilities.
On the occasion of the first stage of the Tour de Wallonie, this Saturday, the Frenchman won his 39th career victory.
Victory for @alafpolak1 @qst_alphavinyl at the Mur de Huy!!!
👏🏻👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/qdRfK7kZEr
— Tour de Wallonie & GP Wallonie (@tourdewallonie) July 23, 2022
This first act, starting from Temploux to the west of Namur (Belgium), therefore turned to the advantage of Alaphilippe who triumphed at the mythical Mur de Huy after a 174.4 kilometer long stage.
A formidable climb (1.3km at 9.8% average) that the Quick-Step runner knows perfectly since he had already won there three times by winning the Walloon arrow in 2018, 2019 and 2021. Long at the elbows Elbows with the Eritrean, Biniam Girmay, winner of a stage on the Giro this season, the Frenchman finally ruled out all competition to take the lead in the general classification.
Alex Aramburu (Movistar) and Robert Stannard (Alpecin-Deceuninck) complete the podium.
Julian Alaphilippe, victim of a heavy fall during Liège-Bastogne-Liège last April, won his second success of the season.