No victory for Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) in the opening stage of the Renewi Tour between Riemst and Bilzen on Wednesday. In the bunch sprint and despite the excellent work of his teammate and world champion Mathieu van der Poel, the Limburger saw the Italian Jonathan Milan win at the last minute.
The 26-year-old Belgian sprinter was not in the best condition before this sprint. Indeed, ten kilometers from the finish, Philipsen had a mechanical problem and had to make a big effort to rejoin the peloton. “I had a puncture. The team did a remarkable job to bring me back to the main group,” said Philipsen after the finish.
Jonas Rickaert immediately dropped behind to bring Philipsen back into the peloton, nine kilometres from the finish. “It cost me a lot of energy, but I was still able to sprint. I launched my sprint 150 metres from the finish, in the wheel of Jonathan Milan. But I was at the limit and I was unable to catch him. I must not complain, because it was my first race since the Tour de France. I can already be satisfied with my condition”, concluded Philipsen.
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