Two-time world cycling champion Julian Alaphilippe retires at 34 after 13 seasons and 45 pro victories

Julian Alaphilippe announced his retirement from professional cycling on Friday, 21 August 2026, ending a 13-season professional career at the age of 34. The French rider confirmed his decision on social media and through a statement issued by his team, Tudor Pro Cycling. Alaphilippe chose to terminate his contract early, foregoing the final year of a deal that ran through 2027. His final competitive appearance occurred at the 2026 Tour de France, where he finished 125th in the general classification after concluding the race on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. In his official statement, Alaphilippe explained his departure from the sport.

I am stopping. Not with sadness, but with great gratitude. I gave everything and the cycling world gave me everything back.

Career palmarès and milestones

Alaphilippe accumulated 45 professional victories after turning professional in 2014 with Patrick Lefevere's Quick-Step organization, where he spent 11 seasons before joining Tudor in 2025. He won back-to-back UCI Road World Championship road races in Imola in 2020 and Leuven in 2021. Over his career, Alaphilippe secured stage victories in all three Grand Tours, winning a stage at the 2017 Vuelta a España, six stages at the Tour de France, and a stage at the 2024 Giro d'Italia. He wore the overall race leader's yellow jersey at the Tour de France for 18 total days across multiple editions.

Classics dominance and peak in 2019

Alaphilippe reached the world number one ranking in 2019 during his most successful season on the WorldTour. That year, he won the Milan-Sanremo Monument, Strade Bianche, and La Flèche Wallonne before holding the yellow jersey for 14 days during the Tour de France. In that 2019 Tour, he won the stage 13 individual time trial in Pau and concluded the race fifth overall in Paris. His classic record also includes two further editions of La Flèche Wallonne in 2018 and 2021, the Clásica de San Sebastián, and the Grand Prix de Québec. His later seasons faced disruptions from injuries, including a crash at 80 km/h during the 2022 Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

Reactions from the French peloton

Alaphilippe's departure completes the retirement of a generation of French cycling leaders, following Thibaut Pinot in 2023 and Romain Bardet in 2025. Michel Callot, president of the French Cycling Federation, reflected on Alaphilippe's role within the national team setup.

Julian had such a special place in French cycling. It is difficult to think that tomorrow the French team will function without Julian.

Tributes emerged across the professional peloton from competitors and former teammates. Warren Barguil, who crossed the finish line alongside Alaphilippe on stage 20 of the Tour de France on 25 July 2026, thanked him publicly on Instagram. Romain Bardet shared a photograph of the two riding together at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, while contemporaries Lilian Calmejane, Alexis Vuillermoz, and Pavel Sivakov also published farewell messages.