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 crew with Alpecin-Deceuninck teammate Mathieu van der Poel, however the pair aren’t anticipating to search out rapid success because the race kicks off in Tuscany.
Last 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 Country. This time, it is set to be an analogous story with two laborious 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 definitely wasn’t speaking up his probabilities of repeating that success on Saturday.
“It is determined by 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 never executed the recon of the stage, but it surely seems fairly laborious on paper. There can be a yellow jersey on the road as nicely so for certain it will not be a straightforward stage.
“I feel the primary two phases are fairly laborious. Last 12 months there was a query mark over whether or not it was attainable. It was too laborious. This 12 months – it at all times is determined by the racing – but it surely seems prefer it’ll be a bit too laborious once more.
“I’ve raced on this area earlier than, and I understand how laborious it’s. We’ll see but it surely’s not that I’ve made a giant aim out of it.”
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Philipsen, in the meantime, stated that the crew 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 is not any prestigious dash finale on the Champs-Elysées ready on the finish of a gruelling three weeks.
“Every 12 months is heavy. The Tour isn’t straightforward. The phases are powerful, however I feel alternatives will come up,” Philipsen stated. “I feel the utmost alternatives for us as a crew is perhaps 9, that is with the gravel stage included. But you additionally see a few of these phases finish with a breakaway. If we will do six sprints out of 9 that may be good.
“With not going to Paris this 12 months it is a totally different psychological sport for the sprinters. We should undergo till the tip if you wish to win inexperienced. There aren’t any closing rewards ready for us in Paris sadly, but it surely’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 season – may as soon as once more be his closest competitor for the sprinters’ largest prize.
“Probably I feel Mads can be one in every of my massive opponents,” he stated. “Maybe 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 all the phases.
“Definitely if he is placing his thoughts to it from stage 1, I feel that is totally different from final 12 months. If he goes 100% then he is a giant rival.”
While Philipsen spies perhaps half a dozen probabilities for himself unfold throughout the 21 phases, Van der Poel is extra restricted in what he can obtain throughout the race. Of course, 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 go well with me we go actually laborious as nicely, like in each Grand Tour.
“The simpler phases are nearly 3,000 metres of altitude so it isn’t that straightforward anymore. The parcours makes it actually laborious to point out a fine condition.”
Nevertheless, he plans to experience all the best way to Nice, even with one other main aim on the Paris Olympic Games following shortly after the conclusion of the Tour.
“I feel it was fairly relaxed to have a protracted preparation coming into the Tour,” Van der Poel stated. “Now it’ll be lengthy for us as nicely 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 attainable, attempt to win a stage myself. Then I’ll be there within the dash phases for Jasper. It’s 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 attainable.”