Jasper Philipsen and Alpecin-Deceuninck had a golden opportunity for another stage victory on day four of the Vuelta a España, but ultimately fell just short in Voiron. The fast man was unable to pass lead-out Edward Planckaert at the right moment, leaving them in second and third place. Before the stage, there were doubts as to whether Philipsen would be able to survive the Alpine climbs in the first half of the race. “It was fast on the first climb. Once the breakaway was formed, we rode at a good pace and controlled the sprint,” he explained to Eurosport.
Lidl-Trek and Alpecin-Deceuninck took care of this, after which the Belgian team seemed to have everything on track in the final phase. Jonas Rickaert delivered Planckaert and Philipsen at the right moment, but the sprinter wanted to wait until the last moment. Just then, Planckaert steered to the left, pushing Philipsen away.
“We did very well with the team, and Edward was super strong. I wanted to pass him on the left, but he couldn't hear me because of all the spectators. That caused me to lose some speed and momentum,” was Philipsen's initial analysis.
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Philipsen didn't have his best legs
“It's sh*t for us, but we were very strong. And honestly, I didn't have the best legs either,” Philipsen said candidly. “The road wasn't completely straight, which made it a bit more difficult to pass, but we still have to analyze it all. It just didn’t feel right,” the Alpecin-Deceuninck sprinter reiterated.
There will be no opportunities for Philipsen in the coming days, with a team time trial and two challenging mountain stages in Andorra. In theory, the Belgian will have another chance on day eight in Zaragoza.