Alpecin-Deceuninck boss Roodhooft: "Philipsen was the victim of something he had nothing to do with"

The Belgian was ready to take part in the intermediate sprint 60 kilometers from the finish when Bryan Coquard of Cofidis suddenly knocked him over. For what it's worth, the Frenchman did apologize afterward. He got caught up with Laurenz Rex of Intermarché-Wanty, had to correct his line, and took Philipsen down.

Philipsen did not attempt to get back on his bike and was left badly injured on the French asphalt. Initial examinations at the hospital revealed a nasty broken collarbone and at least one broken rib. He will be taken to the AZ hospital in Herentals as soon as possible for surgery on his collarbone.

Team manager Philip Roodhooft was the first to speak on behalf of the team at the team bus. 2Our doctor and sports director, Frederik Willems, accompanied him to the hospital, and it looks bad, of course, with all the abrasions he has."

What is Roodhooft's view on the whole situation? "Philipsen was the victim of something he had nothing to do with. We can't blame the other two directly, either. It was just a stupid crash, something that unfortunately can happen in cycling. And unfortunately, Jasper is paying the price."

“It's still too early to say what we're going to do, but we have other good riders. I'm thinking of Kaden Groves, but now is not the time to talk about that,” Roodhooft explains. “Jasper is still suffering from burns and has been badly bruised, so how we proceed is not the most important thing right now. We have to keep going, and Jasper will want that too, but I'm putting that discussion on hold for now.”

“Everyone who saw it happen feels terrible about it,” said Roodhooft. “But it happens to others, too; we'll see. When it happens to someone in your team, you experience it differently, of course. But that's also the Tour de France, and maybe it's a metaphor for life: enjoy the moments when you can,” Roodhooft says, referring to the first two days of the Tour. “Everything can change very quickly.”