Reigning Tour de France inexperienced jersey Jasper Philipsen returns to the race this weekend as soon as once more forming one half of the dash dream staff with Alpecin-Deceuninck teammate Mathieu van der Poel, however the pair aren’t anticipating to seek out instant success because the occasion kicks off in Tuscany.
Final 12 months, Philipsen gained on the earliest alternative on the flat third stage in Bayonne, which got here after two hilly phases within the Basque Nation. This time, it is set to be an analogous story with two arduous opening days to Rimini and Bologna coming forward of flatter stage 3 in Turin.
Three years in the past, Van der Poel claimed the yellow jersey with a stage 2 win on the Mûr-de-Bretagne, however with 3,800 metres of climbing unfold over seven main hills on the street to Rimini, he actually wasn’t speaking up his possibilities of repeating that success on Saturday.
“It will depend on the racing and what different groups wish to do,” the Dutchman stated in a pre-race press convention set in Palazzo Vecchio in central Florence.
“I have not achieved the recon of the stage, however it seems fairly arduous on paper. There might be a yellow jersey on the road as effectively so for positive it will not be a straightforward stage.
“I feel the primary two phases are fairly arduous. Final 12 months there was a query mark over whether or not it was doable. It was too arduous. This 12 months – it all the time will depend on the racing – however it seems prefer it’ll be a bit too arduous once more.
“I’ve raced on this area earlier than, and I understand how arduous it’s. We’ll see however it’s not that I’ve made an enormous aim out of it.”
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Philipsen, in the meantime, stated that the staff can “begin with none stress” with the opening weekend not suited to himself or Van der Poel, earlier than the main target turns to dash wins and one other tilt on the inexperienced jersey.
This time round, there are many probabilities for the Belgian and his dash rivals to compete for wins, even when there isn’t any prestigious dash finale on the Champs-Elysées ready on the finish of a gruelling three weeks.
“Yearly is heavy. The Tour is rarely straightforward. The phases are powerful, however I feel alternatives will come up,” Philipsen stated. “I feel the utmost alternatives for us as a staff is possibly 9, that is with the gravel stage included. However you additionally see a few of these phases finish with a breakaway. If we will do six sprints out of 9 that might be good.
“With not going to Paris this 12 months it is a completely different psychological recreation for the sprinters. We’ve got to endure till the tip if you wish to win inexperienced. There aren’t any ultimate rewards ready for us in Paris sadly, however it’s nonetheless a pleasant Tour with good alternatives.”
The battle for the inexperienced jersey may very well be extra intense than it was final 12 months, too, with Philipsen saying that Mads Pedersen – a distant second final summer time – may as soon as once more be his closest competitor for the sprinters’ greatest prize.
“In all probability I feel Mads might be considered one of my massive opponents,” he stated. “Possibly he hasn’t proven that he is the most effective in pure sprints, however he has proven that he is a powerful bike rider who’s able to getting factors in the entire phases.
“Undoubtedly if he is placing his thoughts to it from stage 1, I feel that is completely different from final 12 months. If he goes 100% then he is an enormous rival.”
Whereas Philipsen spies possibly half a dozen probabilities for himself unfold throughout the 21 phases, Van der Poel is extra restricted in what he can obtain in the course of the race. After all, he’ll as soon as once more be working for his teammate on the pure dash phases, although the alternatives for Classics riders, even the most effective within the peloton like himself, are extra restricted.
“The factor is there’s just a few probabilities for riders like me,” Van der Poel stated. “For the dash phases, it is apparent that we go for Jasper after which the phases that swimsuit me we go actually arduous as effectively, like in each Grand Tour.
“The better phases are nearly 3,000 metres of altitude so it is not that straightforward anymore. The parcours makes it actually arduous to indicate a fine condition.”
Nonetheless, he plans to experience all the way in which to Good, even with one other main aim on the Paris Olympic Video games following shortly after the conclusion of the Tour.
“I feel it was fairly relaxed to have an extended preparation coming into the Tour,” Van der Poel stated. “Now it is going to be lengthy for us as effectively with the Olympics after the Tour, so it was fairly necessary to have these strong days.
“The plan is to go for the entire Tour and, if doable, attempt to win a stage myself. Then I will be there within the dash phases for Jasper. It is a bit just like final 12 months however when my probabilities have been there, I used to be a little bit bit sick. So, I hope to take my probabilities if they’re doable.”
