On the one hand, world champion Julien Alaphilippe (opens in new tab) remains hungry for victory. On the other hand, the French rider claims to have spent most of 2021 learning how to deal with the heightened expectations that come with those who wear the coveted rainbow jersey.

In 2022, Alaphilippe spoke to the media at the Quick Step Alpha Vinyl (opens in new tab) press day in Spain. Expectations for this performance were especially high after Alaphilippe won the biggest one-day race in cycling in Belgium last September, his second consecutive solo victory.

"The most important thing I learned as world champion in 2021 was how to enjoy myself without putting too much pressure on myself," Alaphilippe explained. 'I always want to perform and I always want to be at 100%.' I don't want to disappoint my teammates, myself, and my supporters. But even if I become world champion, I can't win every race, and even if I lose, I have learned that I have to learn from it for the future."

The 29-year-old recognizes that staying motivated to win is one of the major keys to future success.

"So I always want to improve and take on new challenges like the (2021) Flanders Classic. That keeps me on my toes."

Balancing the desire to win with the realization that you can't always win only makes sense if you eliminate or shelve unattainable goals. Hence Alaphilippe's removal of the Tour de Flanders from the 2022 program for the first time since 2019 and a stronger focus on the Ardennes.

Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the monument where he finished second in two finishes, will be a major objective during the 2022 program.

"It will be the center of the first half of the season," Alaphilippe said.

"It's one of the races that suits me best and I've never won. So I'm very motivated. I like both the uphill in Ans and the flat track in the center of Liège.

Win or lose in the Walloon in April, Alaphilippe's ability to manage expectations will be further tested in his hometown in July.

His fifth-place finish at the 2019 Tour de France after nearly two weeks in yellow is still fresh in the minds of local fans, and he has won at least one stage every year since 2018, maintaining his high profile in the French Grand Tours.

He has also worn the rainbow jersey two years in a row and will be burning hard this summer, no matter how unrealistic his hopes are for a possible first outright win in his home country in nearly 40 years.

In terms of Tour de France GC potential, the Frenchman has no idea. At least, there is nothing that he would be willing to share with the public at this point, aside from the promise of a stage win. Again, attainable goals are all that matters.

"At the moment, I think it's day by day in the Tour. It's going to be about reconsidering which stages are going to be really good for me," Alaphilippe said.

"What I can say right now is that we don't have any GC contenders. So if we can perform well [in GC], we will try to do so. But my main goal is to win a stage as a team with the sprinters. I'm not going to fight for the GC win in the Tour."

So, if he were on a different team, he could be in contention for the overall?

"I don't know, but maybe in the future I will try. But certainly not this year."

"It's a question I get asked all the time and I want to give a good answer, but in the end I'm being honest. I don't know if I can win the Tour."

But he grins, saying that if he decides to win the yellow jersey someday, he won't make that fact public.

"Sure, I like surprises, and if I could do that, it would be a nice way to surprise myself. To stay calm, save my energy, and really calculate my efforts is a completely different way of doing it than racing, and I don't know if I can do it."

In the meantime, the balancing act between meeting Rainbow Jersey's expectations and winning a major race continues.