Julian Alaphilippe has said he was "surprised" to see comments about his salary, crashes and performance in the media made by Soudal-QuickStep team boss Patrick Lefevere. However, the two-time world champion clarified that Lefevere never asked him to leave the team and, ultimately, he "doesn't care at all" about the remarks.
Alaphilippe, one of the most exciting and successful riders in pro cycling, endured a torrid season in 2022. A very serious crash at Liège-Bastogne-Liège saw him fracture his shoulder blade, fracture two ribs, and suffer a collapsed lung. It took him two months to return to racing, though he missed the Tour de France as his condition was not good enough following his lay-off. Later in the season he crashed on stage 11 of La Vuelta, dislocating his shoulder.
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Lefevere recently said in the media that Alaphilippe was on a big salary and now had to prove once again he was worth it and was still a champion. The team boss added it was always the same riders who had bad luck with crashes and that Alaphilippe could not "hide behind" bad luck. Lefevere also revealed he had a "frank" conversation with Alaphilippe and told him he "would be allowed to leave" the team if he was "tired of the environment".
Speaking to L'Equipe, Alaphilippe said he believed there were no lingering issues between himself and Lefevere ahead of the 2023 season, his 11th year in the pro peloton, all of which he has ridden with Soudal-QuickStep in its various guises.
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“I passed all the levels, I think I have always worked in the right direction and respected my successive roles, up to that of leader today," Alaphilippe said of his time in the team, from neo pro to word champion, since joining at the start of the 2013 season. "The question of changing horizons has never arisen. When we talked about it during the offseason, I told (Lefevere) that I didn't necessarily want to go elsewhere."
When Alaphilippe was reminded by the French newspaper that Lefevere had also said "he has a champion's salary but he must confirm to me that he is still one", he replied that the issue of salary and proving he was worth the money had never come up in their conversations.
"Every time I had discussions with him, it went well. He never said such things to my face," said Alaphilippe. "To be honest, I was a little surprised to read that. If he had any problem with me, I think he would have told me first. So good... I don't care at all.”
Alaphilippe's first goal of 2023 will be the Strade Bianche, which he won four years ago. He will then take on Tirreno Adriatico, Milan-Sanremo and Tour of Flanders in the first phase of the season.
