A famous Julian

Because of my name, I’m always on the lookout for people named Julian and Juliana. When I was in regular parishes, I encouraged many parents to name their children Julian or Juliana, and was successful on a few occasions. When this was not possible, I even had a horse, a piglet and a goat named such. But yesterday another Julian became quite famous, even though his name has been a household name with those familiar with professional cycling. Julian Alaphilippe won the iconic rainbow jersey of the annual UCI cycling road race, held yesterday in the Flanders, around Bruges and Leuven with thousands of fans cheering him on. He had already won the title last year and he is only the 7th cyclist to repeat the feat back-to-back. It was a grueling race with over 250 kilometers of tough climbing, strategies and occasional sprints, which led to many great aspiring names to drop out. The French Julian Alaphilippe sprinted away 12 kilometers from the end and survived the push from behind of Dutch, Italian and Belgian cyclists. Congratulations Julian!