Last Friday (01), according to information released by the CyclismActu website, Julian Alaphilippe’s coach and cousin, Franck Alaphilippe, informed that he decided not to renew his contract with Soudal Quick-Step due to criticism and tension with Patrick Lefevere, team owner.
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There were speculations that the decision could take place, as the businessman has recently provided not so positive information regarding Julian Alaphilippe’s performance due to injuries that occurred in the 2022 season and have not yet been fully recovered.
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“I kind of saw it coming. There has already been a first sign with everything that happened around the merger between Jumbo-Visma and Soudal Quick-Step. As my contract expired, I found myself in a difficult situation. When the merger didn’t go through, I still wasn’t sure, but I dared to hope”, said Franck Alaphilippe.
The coach continued to explain about the event: “After the merger issues, tensions arose between Patrick Lefevere and Julian, which once again made my situation a little uncertain. So I wasn’t really surprised when I found out I couldn’t stay. I am his coach until the end of December and, for the future, there are currently discussions with the team and Julian”.
Franck Alaphilippe stated that conversations between the cyclist and Soudal Quick-Step continue to progress and that the best decision would be to continue training with the athlete, however, there are still no further details regarding Julian Alaphilippe’s future even with the contract. until the end of 2024.