The problem with success is that it raises the bar. For Julien Alaphilippe, after his great success last July, a stage win and three days in the maillot jaune at the Tour de France were the few returns left after that.

Alaphilippe has an aptitude for all one-day races, as evidenced by his victories in Milan-San Remo, Strade Bianche, and Flèche Wallonne last year.

He has led the French team in each of the last three world championships, and his best result was eighth in Innsbruck in 2018, but he came close to the title the previous year in Bergen, attacking on the last lap. In an online press conference Friday night, Alaphilippe was asked if he had learned any lessons for the Imola World Championship from his past "failures."

"I don't know if you can call it a failure," he said. It doesn't succeed every time."

"It's not a failure every time. So I think it's a little harsh to call it a failure. Last year we didn't get the results we wanted, but overall I think we had a good race. Now I'm focused on Sunday and hopefully the lessons of the last few years will help. It's a unique opportunity."

Alaphilippe entered Yorkshire 12 months ago as the leading contender for the rainbow jersey. His attempt suffered from winter rain and cold weather, ultimately finishing 28th. Rain is forecast for Sunday afternoon in Imola, but Alaphilippe does not think it will have the same negative impact as the heavy rains of a year ago.

"I'm much less afraid than last year," Alaphilippe said. 'If it does, the rain will make the course more treacherous and difficult, but from a physical standpoint it won't have a major impact.'

The exact state of Alaphilippe's physical condition is, of course, a big unknown ahead of the big race. The stinging attack he showed on the Col de Cattleshman in the second stage of the Tour suggested that he was unshakable as a puncher, but he struggled to make a similar impact in his leap from the lead group late in the race. As Patrick Lefebvre, manager of Dečuninck-Quick-Step, put it in his column for Het Nieuwsblad: "Julien was a little bit inferior in this year's Tour, and I think that's why he was so good."

The Imola circuit, with its 5,000m total climb and the 14% slope of the Galisterena, would seem to be a suitable course for a rider with Alaphilippe's characteristics, but national coach Thomas Voeckler, whose team included Dangermann's Guillaume Martin in his debut race outsiders, he insisted. His words were echoed by Alaphilippe.

"We are outsiders, but not without ambition. The Slovenians and many others have the ability to make the race difficult and win, but I think it will be a completely different race than the Tour. The World Championships is always a different race. It's hard to pick a favorite because there are so many riders who can win," said Alaphilippe, who leads a French team without Romain Bardet and Thibaut Pinot, who were victims of crashes in the Tour.

"In the Tour, I was tired, but I was able to finish with the motivation to continue the World Championships and the Classics season. I feel well rested and recovered for Sunday and after seeing the circuit today I am very happy. 0]

While some thought that the rain and the prospect of a circuit with little space for recovery would force the competitors to make a winning choice before the final lap, Alaphilippe said that the difficulty of the route meant that the riders would not want to stretch themselves too much in the early afternoon He insisted that the players would not want to stretch themselves too much in the early afternoon because of the difficulty of the route.

"I can imagine many different scenarios, but I think it will condense into the finale and the race will come down to the last few kilometers," Alaphilippe said. Alaphilippe said, "On a hard course like that, I can't imagine a breakaway from a distance."

The final climb to Galisterna, 11km from the finish, could see a repeat of Alaphilippe's duel with Wout Van Aert in the Milan-San Remo poggio. Belgian Alaphilippe won the two-up sprint on the Via Roma. However, the fact that a certain Dečuninck-Quickstep player declined to be selected for the Belgian team probably indicates Alaphilippe's intentions this Sunday.

Dries Devenyns has been Alaphilippe's most cherished domestique all season, and Lefevere revealed in his Het Nieuwsblad column that the 37-year-old was not ready to race against the leader in Imola. 'Dries didn't like being asked to close the gap to Julien,' Lefevere wrote, insisting that Alaphilippe could take the rainbow jersey despite his concerns about his form. 'This is a one-day race and he remains a super talented guy. If all is going well, why not?"