Paris
Primož Rogliè (Jumbo-Visma) lost the Tour de France on the penultimate stage to fellow Slovenian Tadej Pogaèar but his consistency and success during the rest of the 2020 season has secured him the prestigious international Vélo d’Or prize.
Julian Alaphilippe was awarded the Vélo d’Or prize for best French rider after winning both awards last year.
The Vélo d’Or prize was created in 1992 and is awarded by the French cycling magazine Vélo, with an international jury of journalists voting the rider considered to have performed the best over the year. The full results of this year’s award will be published in the December edition of Vélo on Friday.
Rogliè bounced back from his defeat at the Tour de France to win the Vuelta a España and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, after Alaphilippe was relegated for deviating from his line at the start of the sprint. Rogliè also topped the UCI rankings at the end of the 2020 season.
“I went through the list of previous winners and saw it’s really an important award,” Rogliè told L’Equipe, when the winners were announced. “I want to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to the people who voted for me. I understood that it was a jury of journalists from all over the world, that’s why it really touches me.”
Alaphilippe won the road race world championship in Imola, a stage at the Tour de France, and wore the yellow jersey for three days, confirming his status as best French rider of the year.—AP
