Julian Alaphilippe's Tumultuous Tour: A Bitter-Sweet Stage

Julian Alaphilippe faced a whirlwind of emotions during stage 15 of the Tour de France, as he crashed early in the race, persisted with a dislocated shoulder, and mistakenly celebrated a victory he hadn't actually achieved. The Soudal–Quick-Step cyclist endured significant pain and uncertainty after his fall in the opening kilometres.

Despite the injury, Alaphilippe continued the race, mistakenly believing he had secured a comeback victory as he crossed the finish line. In reality, Tim Wellens had already taken the win with a solo breakaway, and Victor Campenaerts had also finished ahead of him.

Team sports director Raphael Meyer attributed the misjudgment to a failed radio communication. Alaphilippe's series of near-misses mirrors a similar situation in 2020 when he celebrated prematurely at the Liege-Bastogne-Liege Monument classic and was later disqualified for deviating from his sprint line.

(With inputs from agencies.)