Tour de France Femmes director Marion Rousse has dismissed Patrick Lefevere’s claim that her partner Julian Alaphilippe’s struggles in recent seasons have been due to his lifestyle.
In an interview with Belgian magazine Humo published on Wednesday, Lefevere claimed that Alaphilippe had lost focus since signing his current contract with Soudal-QuickStep in 2021. "Too much partying, too much alcohol…" Lefevere said. "Julian is seriously under the influence of Marion Rousse. Maybe too much."
Rousse responded to Lefevere’s comments with a post on Twitter in which she called on the Soudal-QuickStep manager to show “more class” and warned him not to speak again about her private life.
Lefevere has made repeated, public criticism of Alaphilippe since late 2022, at the end of a season in which the two-time world champion had suffered serious injury in a crash at Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
"Whatever Mr Lefevere's feelings towards me, it's unacceptable to attack our private lives as he is doing," Rousse wrote on Wednesday.
"But no, I don't drink alcohol, never have. I don't drink at parties either, because with a three-year-old, we prefer to be on form in the morning.
"You won't succeed either, as you've already told me, in preventing me from working with and staying with Julian for the duration of his career. I'm passionate about what I do, and I've got lots of plans.
"But I'm telling you, under no circumstances will I allow you to talk about my private life. From now on, please stop talking out of turn and show a little more respect and... class."
Alaphilippe is not the first QuickStep rider to be subjected to ill-judged remarks from Lefevere. In 2021, when Sam Bennett was on the cusp of returning to Bora-Hansgrohe, he was the focus of a sustained onslaught from Lefevere, who was heavily criticised for comparing the Irishman to "women who still return home after domestic abuse."
Following Lefevere's latest broadside, the former rider Chloe Hosking called on the CPA to take a clear stance in support of one of its members. "I would love to see @cpacycling make a statement in support of Alaphilippe and make it clear that bullying and public humiliation is unacceptable in any workplace," she wrote.
Alaphilippe's contract with Soudal-QuickStep expires at the end of this season and the team dispensed with the services of his cousin and coach Franck over the winter. Speaking at the Tour Down Under, Alaphilippe acknowledged that he was unsure if he would continue with QuickStep or even continue his career beyond the end of 2024.
The Frenchman has yet to respond to Lefevere’s latest criticism, but he is scheduled to speak with reporters on Thursday afternoon when Soudal-QuickStep hold a press conference ahead of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.
