Everything is going smoothly for Philipsen and Alpecin-Deceuninck: "Van der Poel's Tour participation was a bigger surprise"

"That's right, I already went out to explore this morning. Generally, we have relatively few races in this region, but now there are a few nice ones happening close together. This time trial in Beringen, but the time trial in the Renewi Tour finishes a hundred meters from my front door. And then there's the most beautiful moment of the year, the European Championships in Limburg. I'm looking forward to that, and I always have motivation for it."

"There's a big playground here, and that was my very first bike ride ever, from home to that playground. It was ten kilometers, and back then, it was a big challenge, so that's quite funny."

"We actually adopted a somewhat similar approach as last year. I first spent time in Tenerife, completing the necessary altitude training, and then we went to La Plagne for a high-altitude camp with the team. From there, we basically came straight here, so we haven't been idle. Towards the Tour, we have been working on reaching peak condition."

"I always need that race rhythm anyway. It's good to race again for five days now, aiming for victory and building up those automatic movements. Last year, Mathieu (who also won the Baloise Belgium Tour, by the way) was there, which was of course nice for both of us. And also for me, with the sprints. This year, we have to compensate for that with some guys who are going to the Tour and some who aren't. Anyway, it's good to be racing again."

"You always aim as high as possible, but we're starting with maybe one win. Anyway, it's good to get a reference of where you stand. You know part of it from training, but I haven't raced for a long time. That race rhythm is a bit lost after two months without racing. This is a preparation race, but I always try to compete to win. I'm excited to go full throttle for five days, so then it's about seeing how far I can go in the standings. But that's without any expectations."

"Last year, I did fall in Knokke-Heist, so I'm also trying to get through the race well and healthy. And hopefully, that will come with a day's success. The competition here is strong, including Tim Merlier. He's having a very good season."

"I also hope to learn from doing lead-outs. I haven't had many race days this year, so you also hope to start winning again. That's the goal, but we also want to see where we stand. We can race with an open mind."

"In the past, I've also taken races like Eschborn-Frankfurt, but that wasn't often successful either. I've watched a lot of races on TV, so you do look forward to getting back into action yourself. However, with the goals for this summer in mind, it was mentally and physically the smartest decision to take two months off."

"It's hard to say. We had a good altitude training camp, but it will still be difficult to repeat everything we did last year. However, we've had the right preparation to make that possible again, so why not?"

"We had one day of snow, so that wasn't too bad actually."

"We did some sprint training. It went well, so I don't think there are any surprises. A bigger surprise for me was that Mathieu's schedule is also focused on the Tour this year, so I was very happy about that. Seeing how successful it was last year, we can really use him again."

"That still needs to be discussed. Where he can, he will certainly do his best. Last year, there were also stages where he wasn't involved, so that needs to be discussed."

"That's indeed a nice goal to aim for. But everything will have to fall into place from the beginning again, and the last stages are of course tough, so you also have to be good enough for that. I haven't thought about whether I will ride all the way to Nice if I'm not in green, so that will have to be decided at the moment itself. I think some sprinters will choose not to finish, focusing instead on events like the Olympics."

"I've heard from him, but it's up to Sven to communicate about that. I appreciate his communication in that regard. The course didn't seem too bad to me; it could be something where I can do well. I hope to be there, but that also applies to the European Championships in Hasselt."

"The decision has been made, and I hope to come with news soon."