Alaphilippe skips French Championships to focus on a few carefully selected Tour de France stages

Julian Alaphilippe, the two-time world champion riding for Tudor, will skip the 2026 French National Championships to concentrate on select stages of the upcoming Tour de France. The French rider has struggled for consistency throughout 2026, with his most recent race, the Tour de Suisse, also failing to produce standout results, though he did finish fifth at the GP Gippingen. Team manager Sylvain Blanquefort told DirectVelo that Alaphilippe showed promise at the Tour de Suisse, describing his week as 'promising' despite some inconsistency.