Philipsen on chat with Coquard before his crash, doubts about the rest of 2025, and why he, not van der Poel, aimed for green

"I feel pretty good; it looks promising. Considering the circumstances, my recovery is actually going very well. I am becoming a little more mobile every day and am no longer confined to lying in bed. My wounds have already healed, which proves once again that a body in top shape recovers quickly. I'm happy with the progress, although I haven't been on my bike yet. That wasn't possible with the broken collarbone, but I haven't needed painkillers for two days now. That's also good."

"My collarbone bothers me the most. They weren't too worried about my ribs at the hospital because it was a clean break. The rib hurts when I cough or make certain movements, but it's not really severe. At first, my neck was also bothering me, so I was afraid I had a neck injury. But apparently, my collarbone fracture was so complex that it had shifted toward my trapezius muscle, which is connected to my neck. So it was more at the muscle level."

"We never panicked, and I could still move my legs, for example. Besides, it was the first time I'd broken my collarbone, so every cyclist must have experienced that at some point in their career."

"Yes, my back was completely open, which was quite serious. However, I received excellent treatment in Herentals, where they provided me with good bandages. After a week, the wounds had miraculously closed. I was pleased about that, also because it usually never heals that quickly. That will also be due to the complete rest I had. Normally, with a crash and abrasions, you're back on the bike the next day. That's never beneficial for recovery."

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"I've been working with Jonas since I joined the team in 2021, and he's always been a reliable lead-out man. He's someone you can always count on in our sprint train in various roles. It's great for someone like Jonas that he's getting some publicity in the Tour and that he's been able to demonstrate his very strong riding abilities. Not many riders get to stand on the Tour podium, and Jonas is passionate about the sport. That's why he's enjoying it so much."

"Haha, yes, they had sent it to the group that they were going for it. But I wasn't really thinking about it at the time, and I thought it was just wishful thinking. A few hours later, Quinten Hermans sent a message saying that Jonas and Mathieu had attacked together, so I sat down in front of the TV. It was pretty exciting."

"It's difficult, but I enjoy watching my teammates. I don't have much to do now because I had planned my summer differently. So, I've been able to watch a lot from my bed and during my recovery. In the first few days, I spent most of my time sleeping and resting, as all my energy was focused on recovery. Now I'm more mobile, and I've already had a small barbecue with the family. Those are nice things to keep me busy."

“Haha, to be honest, I haven't unpacked my suitcase yet. Several people have stopped by to see how I'm doing. They've had a look at the yellow jersey, but it doesn't have a place in the house yet.”

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“No, I didn't realize it right away. I do remember Gianni Vermeersch standing next to me, and I asked him if it wasn't as bad as it looked. Gianni was a bit panicked, and a few seconds later, I knew it was probably over. Then the pain set in, especially physically but also emotionally. The realization that it was over was painful.”

"It was a very bad racing incident, and unfortunately, I know what it's like to be criticized in a sprint. In the Tour de France, everything is magnified, and now that was the case for Bryan. It was a nasty crash that should never have happened, but it did. Nobody could do anything about it, so Bryan is not to blame. In the end, people always have an opinion and try to make someone the bad guy; this time, they thought it was Coquard. Unfortunately, there's not much you can do about that."

"Yes, lots, from within the team and several other people. It's nice to get support from colleagues because they know what it's like to crash. You spend months preparing, and then suddenly, your goals are gone. That's tough, both physically and mentally. Coquard also sent me a message, which was a nice gesture, and I appreciated it."

"Hmm, maybe yes. Physically, yes, because I've only broken something once before. I always thought my bones were very strong, but apparently not. Mentally, it's challenging because it wasn't my first crash of the season. At the Nokere Koerse, I was also in top form, having spent months preparing for the classics since winter. That was a significant setback, just as it is now. Of course, we had success in the first days of the Tour, but it was still so long, and then it's difficult to have to drop out and start from scratch again."

"I think that's difficult to say because it only lasted three days. Of course, it eases the pain that the opening weekend was so successful for us. They can't take that stage away from me, but we had so many more ambitions. We were in good shape, and we didn't just work for that first weekend. But that's the tough thing about cycling: it's part of the game. It's nice that I achieved something, just like my crash in the spring when I had already had a successful opening weekend. But it could have been so much more. It's bitter, but there's nothing you can do about it."

"Yes, the green jersey was definitely an ambition. I was in a good position right away, thanks to my stage win, and I was competing in the intermediate sprints. We wanted to go for it, just like going all out for the few sprints that were left in this Tour. I think I could have put up a bit more resistance to Jonathan Milan for the green jersey. Now, his biggest competitor will mainly be Tadej Pogacar."

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"Yes, definitely. This year had some nice highlights, but mostly a lot of low points. It may well be my unluckiest season so far, but everyone has that in their career, and let's hope that's it. You have to deal with it, and there are worse things in life. It's part of top-level sport, but we are well-supported, so we will fight our way back. The short-term goals are gone, but the long-term goals are still there, of course. That never stops."

"They're not for next week or next month. The Vuelta a España is an option if it's feasible. We haven't discussed it yet, so I have to get back on the bike and see how it goes. Then, we can draw up a plan."

"Of course, you lose all your form when you don't do anything for a week; it happens very quickly. However, I hope it will return soon. I'm not sure if I can mentally handle getting back into my spring and Tour form, as I've worked really hard for it twice. To do that a third time in one season, I'll have to see how much desire I have. The biggest goals of the season are behind me. There are still some nice races coming up, but it will be more difficult to prepare myself mentally and physically for them."

"That's difficult. There are WorldTour races, of course, and Paris-Tours is a great classic, but there are no more really big goals. The European Championships are particularly challenging this year, making it difficult to set realistic goals and work as we have in recent months. I was able to recover well after my first crash in the spring, but two crashes might be a bit too much. We'll see; we always bounce back in the end."

"With these injuries, that wasn't possible, so I had to stay home. I am spending more time with my family, but I haven't planned a real vacation yet. If it all takes longer and my goals are not achievable, then, of course, there will be more time to recover. But if I still have to prepare for the Vuelta, then I can't wait too long."

"Gosh. What I found a bit strange was that before the intermediate sprint, I was riding next to Coquard, and he said, "Let's not take any risks and just do a quiet sprint. Just follow, no problems." I never discuss things like that, but then you always see that it happens, even though it rarely does. I can't remember ever having a crash in an intermediate sprint. It was a very unfortunate crash. In the end, there was nothing he could do about it; you don't do something like that on purpose. He slipped out of his click pedal and went to the left. I couldn't anticipate that."

Bram van der Ploeg (Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email: [email protected])