Philipsen crystal clear on Omloop role: “If Mathieu starts, there’s one leader”

Philipsen opened his season at the Volta ao Algarve, where a top result didn’t materialise. “Overall, the feeling is pretty good,” he told Daniel Benson. “I’ve had a long training camp in preparation for the Classics. Here we were missing a bit of momentum and explosiveness to finish it off. The result we hoped for isn’t there, but we’ve got bigger goals in mind.”

In 2025, too, it took a little longer before Philipsen got his first win of the season — though he eventually struck at Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne. Even so, he admits he would have liked to get on the board already this year. “It does take a bit of pressure off, but the team knows what they’re doing, and we trust we’re on the right track. All the signs are good, but a nice result would have been good for morale.”

After Portugal, Philipsen heads back to Belgium, where he is set to ride both races of Opening Weekend — starting with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Last year he finished a narrow third there. Back then he was the clear team leader, but this season there’s a new variable: Van der Poel. If the Dutchman starts, it changes the balance inside Alpecin–Premier Tech immediately.

“If Mathieu starts, then there’s a clear leader,” Philipsen said. “He can go on a solo attack, and that puts a lot of pressure on other teams and creates a different dynamic. But in the past we’ve shown we complement each other well and we can read each other. We’ll see how the race develops. With Mathieu, we can make it an attractive race. It could become a bit more defensive, but we have a lot of options.”

Philipsen hopes for a second win at Milano–Sanremo, but he is already looking further ahead in the spring. “My big goal is probably Paris–Roubaix,” he explained. “It’s one that will always be important. It’s a race I dream about, and it’s incredible to be at the front fighting for the win. But it’s also a race where you need a bit of luck.”

That “luck” could also involve one key rival not getting what he wants. Because in Philipsen’s eyes, Tadej Pogacar will be one of the major factors again. “As long as Tadej hasn’t won Roubaix and Sanremo, he’ll keep trying,” Philipsen said. “One of his big goals is to win all the Monuments, so he’ll always be there as long as he hasn’t ticked those off. He plays a big role in how the race unfolds — and how beautiful it becomes — but the same goes for Mathieu.”

Pogacar made his Roubaix debut in 2025 and immediately showed his strength. A crash took him out of the fight with Van der Poel, but his second place in the vélodrome said it all: he can absolutely win it. Philipsen would rather win it himself — but he joked: “If Pogacar wins Roubaix, I don’t think he’ll come back very quickly in the future.”