Can Van der Poel now focus even more on his endeavors? Philipsen gets confirmation of perfect lead-out in Kuurne

When Alpecin-Deceuninck came around the last corner with three men, it already looked perfect for Philipsen, but when Groves took over from Jonas Rickaert and allowed his leader to sprint for just a hundred meters, jaws dropped. "It's unbelievable to win on my birthday; maybe I had an extra year of power today," Philipsen said with a laugh about his superiority in the sprint.

If he hadn't celebrated quite so early, the rest of the team wouldn't have been in the photo, and Philipsen agrees that this is entirely thanks to a powerful sprint block. "Everything came together, and we had a powerful team in the final. Without them, I could not have done it. We had one of our strongest lead-outs here, with Rickaert and Kaden, who can normally win sprints at the highest level as well."

"He was a part-time lead-out, and it all went well," the winner of the day smiles. Or, as he also put it to Eurosport: "It's great that Kaden also has fun doing this and enjoys it. Then it's cool that things go well, and we can celebrate a victory like this as a team. The plan is for Groves to join us at the Tour, so that's a strong combination."

On Saturday, alpecin-Deceuninck had already been dominant in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, but then Philipsen had to settle for third place. Groves was not yet part of the team then. "I am pleased with how this weekend has unfolded this year. In recent years, the Opening Weekend has never been a success for us. Yesterday was a day of mixed emotions, but to win on my birthday is even better."

Groves will spend more time riding alongside Philipsen in the coming months. Does this mean the Belgian no longer needs his expert lead-out, Mathieu van der Poel? In 2024, the Dutch rider was still critical in Milan-Sanremo and the Tour de France, among others, as a lead-out man for sprints. "I look forward to Mathieu rejoining the team because that is a huge team upgrade. Together, we can go for success."

The rest of Alpecin-Deceuninck also receives compliments from Philipsen. "The chances of a bunch sprint were quite good. There was some movement, but the peloton always fought back. As a team, we were able to do what we do best. It's still early in the season, so this victory is good for the team. We worked hard in the winter towards our bigger goals. Hopefully, we can achieve more great things in the coming weeks."