Jasper Philipsen had simply been overwhelmed once more on the Tour de France when he let his feelings get the higher of him, slapping the bonnet of a race organiser’s automobile. When he returned to his Alpecin-Deceuninck bus, moments after a photofinish confirmed Dylan Groenewegen had edged him out in Dijon, he set free a loud obscenity that was seen to these ready outdoors. One thing plastic was then heard bouncing throughout the ground.
There have been three dash phases within the first six days of the 2024 Tour de France, and Philipsen is but to win one. As much as 5 dash phases stay – presumably six when you add in stage 9’s gravel day – however already the Belgian is failing to retain the title because the race’s dash king that he has held up to now two editions.
As he sat pondering one other loss, worse was then to come back for the 26-year-old. Thirty minutes after Groenewegen was celebrating his sixth Tour stage victory – the identical quantity Philipsen additionally has – the UCI known as Alpecin-Deceuninck’s boss Christoph Roodhooft with some unhealthy information: Philipsen had been relegated. The jury’s report wrote that he “deviat[ed] from the chosen line by impeding or endangering one other rider and [having an] irregular dash.” Accusations of harmful sprinting are sometimes levelled at Philipsen, and this time the race jury agreed.
Any hope he’d be chatting with the press was duly extinguished; Philipsen, a self-described unhealthy loser who as soon as informed this publication that when he misplaced a sport of soccer as a baby “I might be crying on the pitch”, was now raging. Likewise, Roodhooft, was prickly and tense. “Disenchanted,” the workforce’s sporting supervisor summarised his sprinter’s feelings in a single phrase.
Philipsen hasn’t been far off – put apart the disqualification to 107th, he has completed second two phases in a row – however second and third are shortly turning into his default positions; 9 instances this season he has occupied the lesser spots on the rostrum, in distinction to 4 victories, solely two of which have been at stage races. He’s not feared by his adversaries.
“Why is stress wanted?” Roodhoft requested rhetorically, vexed by a journalist’s query. “He’s been two instances second, so for me it’s all going OK till now. Successful a stage will not be straightforward. From two possibilities he didn’t go too unhealthy. He didn’t win, however he’s not alone in making an attempt to win a dash stage. Our first aim was in fact to have a stage victory. He did a very good intermediate [sprint, winning ahead of Biniam Girmay], and he was second right here, however he didn’t win.”
Roodhooft was making an attempt to color an optimistic image, however he couldn’t resist expressing his anger over Philipsen’s relegation and the consequence it has within the factors classification for which his fastman now sits fourth on 85 factors, 64 fewer than Girmay. “For the inexperienced [jersey] we got here on schedule, however now it’s not in our arms,” he mentioned. “It has to crumble in every single place now. It’s less than him anymore.”
An edginess was palpable when Roodhooft spoke, however Philipsen’s teammates had been much less pessimistic. Mathieu van der Poel, the world champion, mentioned that Alpecin produced “the right leadout”. On a private stage, he “felt good – I lastly had punch within the legs.” The day earlier than, when Mark Cavendish scored his historic thirty fifth stage victory, Van der Poel mentioned he “lacked a little bit of punch ultimately… and misplaced some momentum. However right this moment my legs felt manner higher and the workforce did its job once more.”
The subsequent likelihood Philipsen’s workforce will get the chance to amass on the head of the peloton in preparation for a dash might be Saturday’s stage eight, and there was no panic from Søren Kragh Andersen relating to the plan.
“The primary aim of dash groups is that the sprinter is sprinting,” the Dane mentioned. “I feel we did a very good job and if he’s second, near the win, we put him [in a position to be] capable of dash. It’s a piece in progress.”
After the primary relaxation day, 4 extra dash possibilities at most stay, and if Philipsen nonetheless hasn’t chalked a win on the scoreboard, the stress and pressure will begin mounting. “We’re nonetheless hungry,” Andersen mentioned. “There are a number of possibilities this yr for sprinters.”
