Alaphilippe 'relieved' by pressure release despite Flèche Wallonne loss

Defending champion Julian Alaphilippe (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl) finished fourth on Wednesday in Huy
Defending champion Julian Alaphilippe (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl) finished fourth on Wednesday in Huy (Image credit: Bas Czerwinski/Getty Images)

World Champion and three-time La Flèche Wallonne winner Julian Alaphilippe was among the main favourites for the title at Wednesday's race, but despite a strong display from his QuickStep-AlphaVinyl team on the hills of Wallonia he came unstuck on the Mur de Huy, finishing 'just' fourth.

Following an arduous cobbled Classics campaign from the Belgian squad, which saw the QuickStep-AlphaVinyl team fail to rack up any podiums after Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, it was expected that Alaphilippe, who has been in fine form this spring, could salvage a result in the Ardennes.

Dani Ostanek
Senior News Writer

Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Before joining the team, she had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly and Rouleur. She writes and edits at Cyclingnews as well as running newsletter, social media, and how to watch campaigns.