Special Envoy to Nogaro
When asked if he is currently the best sprinter on the planet in Bayonne, after his victory in the third stage, Jasper Philipsen, the modest triumph, made an appointment in Paris to take stock . But the sprinter of the Alpecin-Deceuninck formation has already given a bit of an answer this Tuesday to Nogaro by once again winning the sprint with a breath ahead of Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Dstny). Here he is now with four victories on the Grande Boucle, two in a row this year (first sprinter to do a double since Groenewegen in 2018) and two last year.
“Winning twice in a row is super difficult, I’m very proud to have achieved that with the privilege of having Mathieu van der Poel by my side. Few runners have this chance”, admitted the winner of the day, taking his hat off to his compatriot. Because if Philippsen covers himself with laurels, he owes it in part to the work of Van der Poel, a formidable launching pad in the sprint on Tuesday, like the day before in Bayonne. “When you have someone like Mathieu with you, even in a difficult situation where everything is lost, he manages to bring me to the front,” he admitted at the microphone of France Télévisions.
“Our team revolves around me and Mathieu van der Poel. There is no climber or rider aiming for the general classification so we can focus exclusively on sprints and stages for Mathieu van der Poel which gives us an advantage”, explained the 25-year-old rider launched in a tremendous spiral of success. Of those who have made the fame of the greatest sprinters such as Mario Cipollini (four victorious sprints in 1999), Mark Cavendish (six in 2009) or more recently Marcel Kittel (five in 2017), stars of the peloton for whom victory called victory in an exercise where the mind and confidence are paramount.
Even if the absolute record of success in the hands of Freddy Maertens (seven) is still far away, the native of Mol does not intend to stop there. “My objective on this Tour was to win stages, yesterday (Monday) we managed to tick that box. And we want to get the points. (The green jersey he donned at Nogaro) will be a goal on this Tour”, warned the new ogre of the peloton.
The mechanics of the Alpecin-Deceuninck team are perfectly oiled for the moment but they remain fragile. We saw it again on the final of the Nogaro circuit, the Belgian was on the verge of being blown away by Caleb Ewan who came back like a bullet in the last meters. “Caleb (Ewan) was right next to me, I wasn’t that confident. He caught up with me at the end, it was really very nervous, ”admitted the one who is often compared to Tom Boonen.
To maintain his invincibility, Philipsen will also have to be careful not to come out too damaged by the Pyrenees, considered “extremely delicate” at first, then the Alps. The next two stages will inevitably affect his freshness even if he is one of the sprinters who best limit damage when the percentage rises. Mathieu van der Poel’s state of freshness, his best asset as he approaches the finish line, will also be decisive in breaking records.
