Twelve months ago, Julien Alaphilippe was eager to extract every last dime of value from his time in the rainbow jersey at the Tour de la Provence. A year later, Alaphilippe has the world title in his hands, but for both planned and unforeseen reasons, there is none of the same urgency as he begins a new campaign in southern France on Thursday.

Alaphilippe has foregone the cobbled classics this year, opting instead for the Ardennes.

"Apart from some physical problems a couple of weeks ago, my preparation has been good," Alaphilippe told reporters via video call on Wednesday.

"I had a cold and couldn't go to the training camp in Portugal with the team. But I'm recovering now and although I'm not at 100%, I'm very eager to start the season in France and in the rainbow jersey again."

Alaphilippe's week of rest roughly coincides with the time his Quick Step-Alfa Vinyl team camped in the Algarve last month. And while he was able to resume full training 10 days ago, he admitted that the solitary work at home was no substitute for a race simulation like the one he did in Portugal.

"No, not at all. So I'm not at 100% here.

"Maybe it will work out and I will be better than I think I am. But I had to take a week off the bike and I missed the training camp, which is very important as a total preparation. I worked hard, sure, but I'm a little behind, so to speak. Still, we will use this race as a springboard for our efforts in the year ahead.

"I have no special ambitions here, I just want to find my pace over the four days of racing. I'm not stressed, I just want to have fun."

At least Alaphilippe will be on the start ramp in Vail-Letan on Thursday. His teammates Caspar Asgreen and Davide Ballerini tested positive for COVID-19 this week, so the Quick-Step Alphavinir team will start with just five riders.

Asgreen was the favorite to win Thursday's short opening time trial, while Ballerini won two stages of this race last year, including Saturday's gentle climbing finale in Manosque. Their absence makes the Quick Step race quite different.

"Caspar is already lost and would have been a good match for Filippo Ganna in the time trial," Alaphilippe said. 'Now it's more complicated by the fact that we don't have Davide in the sprint. It also eliminates his chances for a stage win. But it's not best to have only five riders at the start."

Alaphilippe was aggressive in last year's Tour de la Provence, attacking on the first day and finishing third in the summit finish at Chalet Reynard, finishing the race in second place overall behind Yvan Sosa. The varied terrain, including a tough finale at Montagne de Lure on Sunday, will provide another eye-opening run for the Frenchman this week.

As an echo of the 2019 Agnus Mirabilis, Alaphilippe's spring goals can be divided into two distinct blocks: first, competing in Italy in Strade Bianche, Tirreno - Adriatico, and Milan - Sanremo. He will then compete in the Ituria Basque in preparation for the Ardennes Classics, especially Liège - Bastogne - Liège, where he finished second in 2015 and 2021 and has unfinished business.

"This year we are focusing on the Ardennes, with the Italian Bloc beforehand, and the Basque as preparation. So it will be a "classic" race compared to the last few years, and I'm happy to be back there," said Alaphilippe, but he has only temporarily abandoned any lingering thoughts of the Tour de Flanders.

"But if things go well - and even if they don't - I want to run more Flanders Classics next year. But for now, I'm very happy with my program and the goals I set for myself. It's allowed me to be more relaxed."

Alaphilippe remains calm whenever asked about his Tour de France ambitions. He plans to return to the Tour in 2022, but as of July he remains politely tight-lipped about his overall ambitions.

"It's true that people ask me a lot," he said. But my ambition to make it a good tool, both collectively and individually, has not gone away."

Rather than talk about the maillot jaune, Alaphilippe preferred to talk about the jersey he already carried at the start of the season; for the second time, he feels closer to its weight, and the burden seems somewhat lighter.

"I don't feel like they expect more from me than usual. On the contrary, I'm more relaxed than I was at the same time last year. I've learned to be a little more calm. I've said this many times this winter, I'm telling myself to enjoy and savor these two emotionally rich seasons."