For the second time in two weeks, Julien Alaphilippe is starting over in familiar territory: two weeks ago, he won the opening stage of the Tour de Wallonie on the summit of the Mul de Huy, a day after testing positive for COVID-19. On Sunday, the world champion will return to action at the Tour of Leuven, in the very city where he won that title.

"Sunday's race is going to be strange, especially with the different feeling from last year's World Championships. It will be a hard race, but I'm looking forward to seeing how I feel," Alaphilippe told reporters via video call on Friday afternoon.

The Tour of Leuven was added to Alaphilippe's program to give him more racing days before the Vuelta a España. Indeed, the recent diagnosis of COVID-19 was consistent with this season's trend of bad luck. Even before his horrific crash at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Quick Step-Alfa Vinille rider had been hampered in his classic campaign by illness.

Alaphilippe made it to the French championships in late June, but was unable to compete in the Tour de France; his victory in Mulle de Uys two weeks earlier suggested that Alaphilippe had been beaten by COVID-19 and was forced to start over.

"Every year is not the same. We have continued for several seasons at a high level with no major setbacks and good results. This year the wind was not at our backs and we had to adapt," Alaphilippe said. But there is still an end in sight. But there is still the end of the season, with the World Championships and Lombardia. Hopefully the season will end better than it started."

Alaphilippe will return to the site of his first victory in eight years next week at the Tour de l'Ain after racing in the site of his biggest win on Sunday. Alaphilippe, who was just 22 years old, defeated Dan Martin on the final stage of the 2014 Urbent to win the first stage of his professional career.

"It feels strange to be back, but I'm also happy because I don't always get the chance to ride races in France, which is close to where I'm from," Alaphilippe said. Alaphilippe said, "It's nice to be back to my roots, but it's going to be three days of intense racing."

It was precisely that intensity that Alaphilippe lacked in his 2022 campaign. His victory at Mul de Uy suggested that his sharpness had not been unduly dulled by a long stint at high altitude in Livigno (open in new tab) in July, but he was off the bike for a week or so after his COVID-19 diagnosis. His ambitions for Leuven and the Tour de Ain are modest.

"I wasn't feeling well, I was really pumped. The symptoms are gone now, but I'm still a little tired. The last few days of training were not incredibly good," Alaphilippe said. I don't know what will happen physically, but I'm motivated and willing. I'll keep trying and the race will give me the answer."

"Sunday and the Tour de Ain will be a great effort for the Vuelta, and I'm looking forward to seeing how I feel after COVID-19."

It remains to be seen how Alaphilippe will fare in the Vuelta, where he will ride for the Quick-Step Alfa Vinyl team led by Remco Evenpole, who won a dominant victory at last week's Clasica San Sebastian. We want to have a good race as a team in the Vuelta," Alaphilippe said. I want to race well as a team in the Vuelta, and I want to feel better than I did last week," Alaphilippe said.

Of course, his Vuelta appearance in 2017 was preceded by some brilliant end-of-season results, including a near miss at the Bergen World Championships and a second place at Il Lombardia. The Vuelta should help condition him for the World Championships in Wollongong, but Alaphilippe insisted that he has few thoughts about winning the rainbow jersey for a record third consecutive year.

"The World Championships is one of my goals for the end of the season, but I am not thinking about winning a third consecutive championship at all. I want to be able to attack and enjoy riding the bike," Alaphilippe said. It is difficult to talk about my performances and results in the Vuelta and the World Championships. It is difficult to talk about performance and results in the Vuelta and the World Championships. I will race on Sunday and next week.

"If I can get back to my best level, 100%, at least one day between here and the end of the season, I will be very happy. That would be mission accomplished for me."