Vuelta a Espana: Alaphilippe 'not yet 100 per cent, but feeling very good'

Julian Alaphilippe admits he is not yet back to 100 per cent fitness following his long injury lay-off, but says he’s not far off as his comeback continues with an encouraging start to the Vuelta a España.

The Frenchman was forced to miss the Ardennes Classics and the Tour de France due to a prepatellar lesion that flared up in April. After a tentative one-day outing in late July, Alaphilippe returned to racing in earnest earlier this month at the Vuelta a Burgos, and has played his part in two stage wins for his Quick-Step Floors team in the space of the Vuelta’s first four days.

Firstly, on stage 2, he was the instigator of the late split that led to Yves Lampaert’s solo victory, and on Tuesday’s stage 4 he took control in the final couple of kilometres to join Lampaert in leading Matteo Trentin to victory.

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“There’s still some way to go, but I’m satisfied with myself at the start of this Vuelta. I’m taking the race day-by-day but I really do feel very good,” Alaphilippe told L’Equipe.

“It has been a long, difficult period to go through. Before the Vuelta, I wanted to go to Burgos to rediscover the rhythm, and it’s coming little by little. I can clearly feel that the legs aren’t yet turning at 100 per cent, but I’m also here to fine-tune my condition, to help my teammates, and to rediscover the pleasure of racing my bike.”

As well as playing his part in the team’s success on the two flat stages so far, Alaphilippe will also be called upon to support the team’s general classification rider, David de la Cruz.

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