Alaphilippe's Retirement Closes a Chapter for Italian Cycling Fans

Julian Alaphilippe, the two-time world champion and one of the most recognisable figures in modern cycling, has announced his retirement at the age of 34, Le Monde reported on Friday. The French rider leaves the sport after more than a decade in the professional peloton, with 45 victories to his name, including six Tour de France stage wins and a Milan-San Remo title.

For Italian cycling fans, Alaphilippe's career carries special significance. His victory at Milan-San Remo — one of cycling's five 'Monuments' and a race that finishes on the Ligurian coast — placed him among the sport's elite. But it is his performances in the high mountains that have endeared him to the tifosi who line the passes of the Alps and Dolomites each summer.

The Valle d'Aosta has a particular place in that story. The region's climbs — the Col du Grand-Saint-Bernard, the Colle del Piccolo San Bernardo, the Passo del Monte Bianco — have featured in the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France, and it was on such terrain that Alaphilippe built his reputation as a fearless attacker.

Le Monde's obituary of his career notes that Alaphilippe's six Tour de France stage wins came largely in the mountains, where his aggressive riding style and willingness to take risks made him a favourite of crowds seeking drama on the climbs. His 2019 and 2021 world championship victories, both won on hilly courses, cemented his status as a rider who thrived when the road went upward.

The announcement comes at a time when professional cycling is changing. The sport has seen a wave of retirements in recent years as a new generation of riders, many of them specialists in Grand Tour general classification, has come to dominate. For the Italian fans who watched Alaphilippe attack on Alpine descents with a verve that recalled the greats of the past, his departure marks the end of an era.

In the Valle d'Aosta, where cycling tourism is a significant part of the summer economy, the legacy of riders like Alaphilippe is felt beyond the professional peloton. The region's roads draw thousands of amateur cyclists each year, many of them inspired by the exploits of the professionals who have raced there. The mountain passes that hosted his most memorable victories remain open to anyone willing to climb them.

Le Monde reports that Alaphilippe made his decision after more than a decade in the sport, a career that also included a Milan-San Remo title and numerous other victories. His retirement, at 34, is younger than many of his contemporaries, but it follows a period marked by injuries and a decline in form that saw him struggle to recapture his earlier brilliance.

For the cycling world, his departure leaves a gap. The sport has lost one of its most charismatic figures, a rider who combined attacking flair with a personality that transcended national boundaries. And for the Italian fans who cheered him on the passes of the Alps, the memory of his greatest rides will endure long after his final race.