Certainly, the Baloise Belgium Tour field is not that of a World Tour event. And even less the one that awaits the riders on the next Tour de France. But Jasper Philipsen impressed this Saturday on the queen stage of the Tour of Belgium. He didn’t win, but we didn’t think we’d see him… sprint for victory in the Mur de Durbuy. While there was a fight on the Walloon roads! Particularly with the young Mathias Vacek, second this Saturday morning in the general classification, who bravely tried his luck. He first went out alone, before being joined by Lorenzo Rota and two revelations of this season: the Briton Joseph Blackmore (winner in particular of Liège-Bastogne-Liège for hopefuls and fourth in the Flèche brabançonne) and Jenno Berckmoes, the subscribed to places of honor.
In his… yellow best youngster jersey, Mathias Vacek gave everything to pocket the maximum number of bonus seconds during the golden kilometer. Or new. As much as the leader of the event, Soren Waerenskjold, the day before. But he was caught just before the finish by a reduced peloton. In which Jasper Philipsen still appeared. The Belgian sprinter, however, was unable to win in the high percentages of the Mur de Durbuy, overwhelmed first by the promising Pierre Gautherat and by the solid Axel Aranburu, who won. But his third place on this very Ardennes stage says a lot about his condition before the Tour de France, where he will aim for a new green jersey!
“I’m not as fast as him, I’m not a real sprinter, but this kind of difficult finish suits me and I’m happy to win there for the first time this season”says the Spaniard Axel Aranburu, announced next season at Cofidis.
With his offensive, Mathias Vacek returned to two seconds from first place in the general classification. “It was really hard, especially for a profile like me, breathes the colossus Soren Waerenskjold. “Vacek’s Lidl-Trek made the stage difficult. Normally, on this kind of stage, I finish at three minutes. But there, with the leader’s jersey, I held on. And I’m relieved to have kept my first place in the general classification.”
But two seconds ahead. It therefore promises to be very competitive again this Sunday, during the final stage in Brussels. With the golden kilometer again, fifty miles from the goal. Departure at 1:05 p.m. from Avenue de Miramar, very close to the Atomnium, for a new long circuit stage, passing through Wemmel, Merchtem, Nieuwenrode and Meise, with arrivals around 1:53 p.m., 2:40 p.m., 3:27 p.m., 4:14 p.m. and 5:01 p.m.
Full of confidence for Philipsen
