'Too much partying, too much alcohol' – Lefevere issues further Julian Alaphilippe criticism

Julian Alaphilippe and Patrick Lefevere at the 2019 Tour de France
Julian Alaphilippe and Patrick Lefevere at the 2019 Tour de France (Image credit: Getty Images)

Soudal-QuickStep manager Patrick Lefevere has once again issued bracing public criticism of Julian Alaphilippe, telling Belgian magazine Humo that he felt the two-time world champion had lost focus since signing a contract extension with the team in the spring of 2021.

Alaphilippe won his second straight world title later that year, but his 2022 campaign was interrupted by a heavy crash at Liège-Bastogne-Liège and another fall at the Vuelta a España. In 2023, the Frenchman won the Faun-Ardèche Classic and a stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné, but he fell well short of expectations at the Classics.

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Barry Ryan
Head of Features

Barry Ryan is Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.