"Maybe it’s good to see other things" - Philippe Gilbert challenges Julian Alaphilippe to leave his comfort zone and find a new team

It's no secret that the form of Julian Alaphilippe isn't quite at the same level as in years gone by. In fact one of his most vocal critics has been his Soudal - Quick-Step general manager, Patrick Lefevere. This in turn leads Philippe Gilbert to question whether the French rider needs a change of scenery.

“Of course, it’s already been a long time that he’s been there,” Gilbert says in an interview with Cycling Weekly. “It’s already almost ten years. So a long, long time, and maybe it’s good to see other things.”

Gilbert himself is no stranger Lefevere and the Quick-Step set up, having ridden for the team between 2017 and 2019. “I was the first one to do the same, you know, because it’s always good to change," he explains. "It’s a new challenge, you see new people, you see new methods of training, a new method of nutrition, new material."

“When you’re not good, you know you’re not good," Gilbert continues, addressing the vocal, public criticism of Alaphilippe by Lefevere. “When you get criticism it’s then having a negative effect. So to me, it’s a mistake to speak like this in the media at that moment.”