Julien Alaphilippe, who is wrapping up a challenging season in the rainbow jersey, said he hopes to enjoy the bike again at the upcoming Vuelta a España.

The Frenchman is part of the Quick Step-Alfa Vinyl team formed to support Lemco Evenpoel's GC challenge. However, the Vuelta is also his first World Tour race since his big crash in the spring Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

Alaphilippe suffered a broken scapula and ribs and a punctured lung in the group crash, forcing him to recuperate for two months before resuming racing. After missing selection for the Tour de France, Alaphilippe was forced to regress again when he tested positive for COVID-19 in the Tour de Wallonie, which he won on the opening stage.

Since then, Alaphilippe has experienced the Tour de l'Ain in preparation for the Vuelta, and the two-time world champion is motivated toward the end of the season after the setback that defined his 2022 campaign.

"You have to be confident. It can't be worse than the last few months," Alaphilippe told a press conference before the Vuelta start in Utrecht on Friday.

"We have a lot of aspirations and motivation as we enter the last part of the season. I want to achieve a good performance, avoid crashes, and stay healthy in order to succeed in the Vuelta. In short, I want to enjoy the bike."

Alaphilippe, who was touted as a Grand Tour contender himself a few years ago after an unexpected fifth-place finish in the 2019 Tour de France, will provide solid support for Belgian phenom Evenpoel in Spain.

Along with Fausto Masnada, Remi Cavagna, and Ilan Van Wilder, Alaphilippe will be an important nucleus supporting the Quick Step camp for the next three weeks. However, the French rider will also be able to seek his own opportunities.

After all, there are several stages in store for Alaphilippe, who won the Vuelta five years ago on the steep slopes of the Zorre de Catti.

"If I get a good win after that, I'll be happy," Alaphilippe continued. 'I'm a professional. I still have the determination to shine and it starts with this Vuelta. I'm ready and I'm going to get better.

Alaphilippe said that despite a tough year for him, he never bowed out, adding that he was not put off by outside expectations that the world champion would soon return to winning ways.

"People expect a lot from me, they expect me to win immediately and everywhere. It's not always easy to manage."

"It's always easy to be criticized when you're a world champion and you're not giving 100% and you're getting hit with races that are a little less demanding. But I was obviously there to try.

"There are always a lot of expectations and I'm used to that. I've been training hard and hopefully luck will be on my side in this Vuelta."