Julien Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-QuickStep) will not compete in Saturday's Il Lombardia, having opted to put an early end to his 2019 campaign.

The Frenchman, who won Milan-San Remo, Strade Bianche, La Flèche Wallonne, and two stages of the Tour de France this year, feels he is not in the condition needed to be competitive.

Alaphilippe, who was scheduled to ride Milan-Torino on Wednesday before the final monument of the season in which he finished runner-up two years ago, will put the wheels down for the winter.

"I am really sad to tell you that I will miss the Milano-Torino and Il Lombardia races this week and that my wonderful 2019 season is over," Alaphilippe said.

"You all know that I always give my all and have done so since the year started in Argentina. I have raced hard in the classics and Le Tour to peak for the third time this year. I wanted to be with everyone in Italy and give my all for the team, but as long as that is not possible, it makes sense to start recovering from the end of the season in order to be in top condition for the start of next year"

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Alaphilippe started 2019 with two wins at the Vuelta a San Juan and one at the Tour Colombia, followed by two stages at the Strade Bianche in Italy, Tirreno-Adriatico, and his first monumental win at Milano-San Remo

Tours.

After a stage win at the Tour of the Basque Country, he followed it up with a second consecutive win at the Flèche Wallonne. He followed that up with a stage win at the Criterium du Dauphiné in June, and held on to the yellow jersey until the final Friday of the Tour de France, finishing fifth overall.

Having fallen victim to fatigue at the 2018 World Championships, Alaphilippe significantly reduced his race program after the Tour in order to be fresher for the World Championships and Lombardia. But after struggling in the cold and wet conditions of Yorkshire, he lost the form he needed to add a final flourish to his campaign.

"2019 will be a year I will never forget and I want to thank my team, management, staff, family, and everyone who supported me throughout this truly amazing season," said Alaphilippe. I can't even begin to describe how special it was to share this amazing moment with you all."

In Alaphilippe's absence, Detunink-Quickstep will run at Il Lombardia with two-time winner Philippe Gilbert, Bob Jungels, and Enric Mas.