Julien Alaphilippe (open in new tab) was named the best French athlete of 2019 after winning L'Équipe's "Champion of Champions" award.

The Deceuninck-QuickStep (open in new tab) rider topped the paper's journalists' poll, beating skier Alexis Pinturault and soccer player Kylian Mbappe to second and third place, respectively. Earlier this month, Alaphilippe was awarded Vélo d'Or by Vélo Magazine.

Alaphilippe won 12 races in 2019, including Milan-San Remo, Flèche Wallonne, and Strade Bianche, but was especially honored for his remarkable performance in the Tour de France. He won two stages, including the time trial in Pau, and wore the yellow jersey for 14 stages, only losing the leader's jersey on Friday, the last day of racing. Alaphilippe finished fifth overall in Paris and was named the Tour's most combative rider.

Despite coming so close to a Tour podium and even an overall win, Alaphilippe has no plans to shift his focus to the overall classification of the Grand Tour in the foreseeable future. He plans to compete in the Tour again in 2020, but indicated that GC is not his goal.

"What is certain is that I don't have five teammates around me," Alaphilippe told L'Équipe. 'There are sprinters. I will start with a team to win stages, not to control the race. If there is a turning point in my career and I have to think about the overall classification of the Tour, it will not come before the end of my contract in two years."

After missing out on a medal in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, Alaphilippe hopes to return for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The road race will take place just six days after the Tour ends on the Champs-Elysées.

"Even if you feel good at the start of the Tour, it's hard to stay in shape at the finish," Alaphilippe said. 'We have the Olympics coming up, and we need to plan well.'

As in 2019, Alaphilippe will again start the year at the Vuelta a San Juan in Argentina before taking on the Tour Colombia 2.1 race. A major addition to the spring program will be his debut at the Tour de Flanders on the first Sunday in April; as in 2019, he will finish his classic campaign with the Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

Meanwhile, off the bike, the 27-year-old is adapting to the celebrity following his July exhibition.

"It's a little harder to live like I used to," Alaphilippe said. "I used to live a simple life, doing whatever I wanted. Today, when I do something, people say, 'Julien did this. No matter what I say, it could be misunderstood. It makes me angry because it doesn't compute."