French cycling's golden generation ends as Pinot and Bardet retire
Three leading French cyclists including two-time world champion Alaphilippe retire simultaneously.
Event / Sports
Julian Alaphilippe Retirement
French two-time world cycling champion Julian Alaphilippe announced his retirement at age 34 on August 21, 2026, ending his professional career with 45 victories including two UCI Road World Championships and one monument victory.
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2026-08-21 to 2026-11-10 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 21 Aug, 14:22 UTC
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What happened
Julian Alaphilippe suffered severe crash at 80 km/h during 2022 Liège-Bastogne-Liège
Julian Alaphilippe experienced a severe crash at approximately 80 kilometers per hour during the 2022 Liège-Bastogne-Liège race. This accident marked a turning point in his career, after which he was no longer able to perform at his previous level despite attempting a comeback with Tudor Pro Cycling in 2025.
Julian Alaphilippe won 45 professional races during his career
Julian Alaphilippe compiled a total of 45 professional cycling victories throughout his career. His major victories included two world championships (2020, 2021), one Milan-Sanremo monument (2019), three Flèche Wallonne victories (2018, 2019, 2021), Clasica San Sebastian (2018), Strade Bianche (2019), Tour of Great Britain (2018), Grand Prix de Québec (2025), six Tour de France stage victories, one Tour of Spain stage (2017), and one Tour of Italy stage (2024).
Julian Alaphilippe won UCI Road World Championships in 2020 and 2021
Julian Alaphilippe won the UCI Road World Championships twice, achieving an unprecedented back-to-back title for a French cyclist. He won his first world championship in 2020 at Imola, Italy, and defended his title in 2021 at Louvain, Belgium. This achievement made him the first French cyclist to win consecutive world road race championships.
Julian Alaphilippe announces retirement from professional cycling at age 34
French cyclist Julian Alaphilippe, a two-time world champion and winner of Milan-Sanremo, announced his retirement from professional cycling at age 34. The announcement came on August 21, 2026, following his participation in the 2026 Tour de France, which he finished beyond 100th place. Alaphilippe is terminating his contract with Tudor Pro Cycling, which was set to run through the end of 2027, forgoing his final contracted year.
Thibaut Pinot and Romain Bardet also retired, ending era of French cycling dominance
Following Julian Alaphilippe's retirement, French cycling entered a new era. Thibaut Pinot retired in 2023 and Romain Bardet retired the following year (2025). These three cyclists—Alaphilippe, Pinot, and Bardet—had been the leading faces of French cycling over the preceding 15 years.
Julian Alaphilippe's best season was 2019 when he ranked world number one
In 2019, Julian Alaphilippe achieved his best season, becoming the world number one ranked cyclist. He won Milan-Sanremo monument race in the spring and won his second Flèche Wallonne (eventual total: three victories). He also won Strade Bianche and had a strong Tour de France performance with 14 days in the yellow jersey, two stage victories including a time trial at Pau, and finished 5th overall. He accumulated 18 total days in yellow jersey across his career.
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2 alternative perspectives
Severe 2022 crash marked turning point in Alaphilippe's decline
Alaphilippe's severe 2022 crash at 80 km/h during Liège-Bastogne-Liège proved a critical career turning point.
Alaphilippe ends career as two-time world champion at 34
Julian Alaphilippe retires at 34 with two world championships and 45 career wins.