Julian Alaphilippe’s package for the last Tour de France left little doubt in the mind of Patrick Lefevere. And this despite the lobbying of Marion Rousse.
Broken ribs, fracture of the scapula and hemopneumothorax: the stigmata of the fall suffered by Julian Alaphilippe during Liège-Bastogne-Liège, last year, were deep. A lesser evil in view of the immense fear experienced by the runner of the Quick Step and his entourage. “They were afraid that he would move more, that he would be paralyzed”explained Marion Rousse to her friends Alexandre Pasteur and Laurent Jalabert as they commented on the Ardennes classic.
The injuries were serious enough to prevent him from being at the start of the Tour de France in early July, despite all the efforts made by the native of Saint-Amand-Montrond to be there. And Patrick Lefevere had no illusions on the subject. Evidenced by his remarks made three weeks after the accident during a lunch with his runner and his companion. “We are not stupid. July 1 is in six weeks, ”he said, visibly convinced that his runner could not be restored in time.
For you, it is very important for sponsorship
The former champion of France then tried to push in favor of the participation of the double world champion. “For you, it’s very important for sponsorship”, she breathes. But the response from the boss of Quick Step leaves little hope. “But he has to be able. If the wearer of the rainbow jersey is not up to the task, we benefit from publicity for barely a day, but after that the Tour continues and we screw up…”he then replied.
Patrick Lefevere will nonetheless maintain the suspense until a few days before the start of the Tour de France. And despite his solid performance at the French championships, there was no miracle for Julian Alaphilippe. “In fact, I went to his house on the Monday before the French Championships, he told the Parisian. I looked him in the eye and told him: ‘You are a world champion and you have to be honest with yourself but also with your teammates.’ I wanted to make him understand that if he came down on the Tour de France, he took someone else’s place. Julian really wanted to compete in the Tour de France with his rainbow jersey. He has a lot of desire for that matter and he also wants to compete in the Giro. But I put my hand on my heart and I tell you that the decision is the fairest and the most honest. Dismissing him or Mark Cavendish who could have broken Eddy Merckx’s stage win record was not easy. But we had to decide. »
