Julian Alaphilippe produced one of the more surreal images of this Tour de France as he celebrated what he thought was a stage win—only to discover he’d sprinted for third place. The Frenchman crossed the line in Carcassonne arms raised, unaware that two riders had already arrived ahead of him. Team UAE Emirates rider, and freshly minted Belgian champ, Tim Wellens took the stage. Another big day for his squad, just not from yellow jersey Tadej Pogačar.
According to Tudor directeur sportif Bart Leysen, Alaphilippe had been riding blind for most of the day. Or, as the kids would say, the Frenchman was rawdogging it. He crashed early, dislocating his shoulder after just 20 km, and lost radio contact for the rest of the stage. “We could only relay bits of information through the jury commissioner,” Leysen told Sporza. “There was no chance to change his radio.”
Leysen admitted it was a strange moment, but understandable under the circumstances. “Julian knew Storer was up the road, but didn’t have the full picture. We told the team we’d be happy with third, but he obviously thought he’d won. He’s a winner—he doesn’t like settling.”
Despite the miscue, Alaphilippe still salvaged a strong performance after his early crash. “I rode a time trial to get back to the bunch, then made the break with Michael, which was the plan,” he said. “Without a working radio, I just raced for the best result I could. So yeah, I celebrated like an idiot—but I could’ve quit.”
Leysen praised his star rider’s form and mindset, saying, “Julian’s getting better every day. Morale is never the problem with him.” Monday is the final rest day, but oh boy, there’s plenty more tough stages to go. Tuesday’s stage 16 is 171.5 km and finishes on none other than Mont Ventoux.
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