Alaphilippe is heading towards a season finale that could still bring him great satisfaction, but in the meantime he has suffered another defeat. It happened in Plouay, in the Bretagne Classic-Ouest France, at the hands of Benoit Cosnefroy, a 25 year old boy, who does not have a great palmares but at the 2020 Flèche Wallonne, the world champion's favorite hunting ground, he placed second behind Hirschi. And in France, meanwhile, they're rubbing their hands together thinking about the World Cup...
A photo for the living room
"I hope to beat him one day," he said last winter in an interview, commenting on the fact that that day in Huy the world champion was not there. So when he realized he had beaten him in Plouay, his joy was unstoppable.
«In front of Julian, with his world champion jersey – he said immediately after the finish – I'm going to frame the photo right now and put it in my living roomI had no references from sprints against Julian, but I was sure I was fresher. Furthermore, the Plouay sprint is a unique one. A 200-meter climb follows a downhill section. You get there fast and then you need strength to hold on. I couldn't break away on the last climb; I thought he wouldn't be able to beat me in the sprint. I believed in myself and it went well…».
Knee pain
Sprinting was his bête noire, to tell the truth.He had started talking about it last year after his third place at the Brabantse Fläche behind Alaphilippe and Van der Poel and second at the Paris-Tour behind Pedersen.
“To turn my positions into victories,” he said disconsolately. I need to improve my speed».
And so last winter, Benoit, known as "Beubeu," moved from Cherbourg, the town on the English Channel where he was born and lives, to the south of France to avoid longer journeys and the risk of annoying Covid infections. Except that the strength work done to improve speed and perhaps also the more rigid climate than the Spanish one caused it a pain in his right knee that affected his performance in the North. And after the Tour in support of Ben O'Connor, The victory at Plouay has restored morale.
«This is the Grand Prix de Plouay (the original name of the race, ed.) – he said – belongs to the heritage of French cycling. And on top of that, I was looking for my first WorldTour win and I found it."
Deceuninck Pincers
It wasn't a result that came by chance. He followed Alaphilippe first. in the attack on the Saoutalarin climb almost 60 kilometers from the finish and at that point Cosnefroy realized he was in the grip of the world champion and the Comrade HonoréHe reasoned. He saved his strength and about twenty kilometers from the finish line he took the Dane off his wheel.And at that point Alaphilippe got the message and stopped cooperating, provoking an angry gesture from his compatriot.
«I told him that he should have been more confident because he could win – the world champion explained after his arrival – I was a bit in the same situation as him in 2018 when I won the Flèche Wallonne. I was waiting for the first big victory. It will do him good for the future, he deserved the success and it won't be the last».
Cosnefroy confirmed every word. "He told me I could win. After I finished, Julian was super happy for me. I know he was sincere. We get along very well».
Attack from afar
Julian's return to racing wasn't easy. So, wanting to avoid direct comparison with those in better shape, he tested from afar.
"The route offered the possibility of moving from afar," he said, "so we immediately went full speed ahead. Unfortunately, in the end, after each relaunch I felt that the cramp was not far away. Benoit (Cosnefroy, ed.) was always there and was simply the strongest. It was already a lot to be able to follow him."
Voeckler takes note
The happiest of all seemed Thomas Voeckler, the France selector who for Tokyo had to deal with the unexpected and unpleasant refusal of Alaphilippe. In addition to Alaphilippe, Laporte, Senechal and Turgis, Cosnefroy's name is another to add to the list of riders for the world championship: there's more than a month to go, but to the Ag2R Citroen They guarantee that the boy will have no problems keeping fitMeanwhile, Alaphilippe slyly takes stock of his condition and announces that he will go and refine it at the Tour of Britain (5-12 September). The king's usual musketeer smile, but another defeat to chew on until the next race.
