“I have a thing for Marion. It stays between us. Peter Sagan’s word will not have remained secret for long. Guest of the Stade 2 program on France 3 after the 15th stage of the Tour de France, the Slovak wanted to address a word to Julian Alaphilippe, who is not taking part in the 2022 edition.
Live at the end of his interview, the TotalEnergies runner took out a small card and slipped it to Marion Rousse, consultant for France Télévisions and companion of Julian Alaphilippe. A few minutes after the departure of Peter Sagan from the plateau, the former cyclist revealed the message left on the card.
” I miss him “
On the paper placed in front of the cameras, a few words, in French: “Please, can you tell Julian (Alaphilippe) how much I miss him on this Tour de France. Thanks a lot. “A thought, therefore, for the French cyclist who is largely absent from the Grande Boucle.
Rider from the Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl formation, Julian Alaphilippe was not retained in the team for this edition. “As he’s not 100% at the moment, you could really wonder how he was going to spend the first week,” confided Patrick Lefevere, general manager of the team, to explain this choice.
An absence linked to the consequences of his fall during Liège-Bastogne-Liège, two months before the start of the Tour de France. He had been forced to give up, and had suffered two broken ribs, a broken shoulder blade and pneumothorax. After a truncated preparation and despite a return to competition, the world champion was therefore not selected for the tour.
During his absence, Julian Alaphilippe prepares the Vuelta. He will start the Tour of Spain on August 19. Before that, he should be back on July 23 for the tour of Wallonia.