Aike Visbeek says his rider Laurenz Rex is not to blame in Philipsen/Coquard incident

Coquard wanted to launch his sprint on the right in the intermediate sprint, sixty kilometers from the finish in Dunkirk. He did not take into account the move by Intermarché-Wanty rider Rex, whose shoulder he hit. While correcting his line, Cofidis' French rider, Philipsen, crashed heavily and had no way out, so he had to abandon the race immediately.

The exact injuries to the Belgian are not yet known, and Coquard offered his apologies after the race. “I have the impression that Jonathan Milan launched his sprint and that my wheel hit his derailleur. Maybe it was Rex who threw me off balance, I don't know,” said the Frenchman.

Visbeek told his story on behalf of Rex to the Intermarché-Wanty bus. “It's a racing incident. We have one of the smallest sprinters (Coquard, ed.) riding against one of the biggest lead-outs (Rex, ed.). Coquard had to correct and took down Philipsen, but we just hope Jasper is okay.”

Visbeek dismisses the suggestion that Rex shouldn't have been there. "It's an intermediate sprint, and anyone who wants to take part is allowed to. It was at high speed, and it was incredibly chaotic; that was the main thing. Rex was riding in a straight line, and Coquard rode into him, so to be clear: Rex can't be blamed for this."

There were also several incidents in the final, including a heavy crash in the final kilometer. “That turn shouldn't be there, especially not at the end of the stage. You can expect something like this. The stakes are very high, and there aren't many opportunities for sprinters in this Tour, so some people get tunnel vision, and this is the result.”