A watershed moment: Alaphilippe tames the Tourmalet to keep Tour de France lead
(Cyclingnews.com)

`Que du bonus.` It would be impossible to count the amount of times Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-QuickStep) has said those three words in the past week. The Frenchman had already made a success of his Tour de France long ago, and anything that would follow, he has repeatedly insisted, would be `just a bonus`. Another day in the yellow jersey: just a bonus. Victory in the individual time trial: just a bonus. Second place atop the Col du Tourmalet: just a bonus? It was far more than that.ADVERTISEMENT This was a watershed moment in Alaphilippe´s Tour de France. Granted, it was the latest in a series of watershed moments, but this felt like the point at which disregarding him as a contender for the title was no longer a viable mode of thought. When he took the yellow jersey in Epernay on stage 3, there were the faintest whispers of his prospects as an overall contender. They became murmurs when he finished with the best on La Planche des Belles Filles and then reclaimed yellow in Saint Etienne. Victory in the Pau time trial on Friday set tongues properly wagging, even if the initial reaction had been stunned silence. However, the line of inquiry still seemed to be when - not if - Alaphilippe would fall away. The true test would come on the Col du Tourmalet, the first hors-categorie climb of the race and the first high-mountain summit finish. Tourmalet Macron and Pinot You can read more at Cyclingnews.com