Alpecin-Deceuninck and Philipsen masters in echelon tactics: "Our whole team was there," celebrates the winner

In the thinned-out first group, which formed about 17 kilometers from the finish due to the wind, Philipsen managed to finish the job after his team put in fantastic work. “It's really amazing. This tenth victory is something I will never forget,” he exclaimed in the flash interview. “It was a great team performance. I think we were on top of it all day, even though it was nerve-wracking. We knew today had to be our day. We had to stay at the front to make it happen.”

When Visma | Lease a Bike got things going, around 30 riders managed to sneak away. Alpecin-Deceuninck was quick to react: the Belgian team had five riders in the breakaway, including Mathieu van der Poel, Kaden Groves, and Philipsen. “In the split, we were there with almost the entire team; we did a fantastic job. We used our strength to be there and finish it off.”

Philipsen's biggest rivals were not there: Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) and Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) were not paying attention. The pressure, therefore, was on the 2023 green jersey winner, but he was very confident. “I knew I had good legs. The last kilometers, with all the fans and people, gave me goosebumps. I knew we had to finish it. My legs were energized by adrenaline as we rode through Lille, an amazing feeling.”

Of course, it didn't happen automatically. The first stage of the Tour de France is always special, and the eventual winner has to stay focused. “It was a fight to stay at the front all day. The guys did a great job of keeping me up there, but there was constant stress, even though not much was happening. The last 15 kilometers were explosive. The whole team was strong, and we showed ourselves in the race. We had a real opportunity, and I'm glad we took it.”

After such a difficult day, with crashes, echelons, and nervousness, the yellow jersey tastes even sweeter than it already would have. “I didn't even dare to dream about it,” the sprinter reflects afterward. “I already had a green jersey from two years ago, but to be able to hang a yellow jersey next to it for the coming years is fantastic. The competition is tough; there are so many strong riders here. I knew I had to stay 100% focused.”