Philipsen says Van der Poel helped Alpecin plan come together in In Flanders Fields

For Philipsen, this is also his 60th victory in his successful career. “It’s my 60th, but definitely one to remember,” he says in the flash interview. “I’ve been chasing this one for a while. It’s a classic I’ve wanted to win for years, but I never had the legs for it. Today everything came together, and that’s how I managed to win.”

For a long time, it looked like the sprinters would have a tough time. Van Aert accelerated on the second climb of the Kemmelberg, after which Van der Poel stepped it up a notch on the final hill. The two rivals rode away together and seemed set to battle for the victory for a long time. Thanks to the work of the sprinter teams, they were caught with one kilometer to go.

Actually, it worked out well for Alpecin-Premier Tech, as Philipsen’s comments afterward reveal. “With Mathieu up front, it was ideal for us as a team. He told us quite a few kilometers before the finish that his legs weren’t at their best because of Friday. But if you manage to break away with two riders in the end, then your legs aren’t that bad after all,” laughs his Belgian teammate.

Thanks to the efforts of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, Decathlon CMA CGM, and INEOS Grenadiers—particularly an incredibly strong Filippo Ganna—the anticipated two-way battle was ultimately thwarted. Philipsen had saved his energy in the peloton. ‘I knew the finish was always pretty long and tough; it’s hard to keep your legs fresh. That’s what I needed today. I was able to gamble on the sprint and win.’

It wasn’t easy to set up the sprint in the chaos that followed. With two new domestiques, the sprinter had to find his way. “Jonas Geens and Florian Sénéchal did the lead-out, and they’re new to the team. It’s new for us to find each other, find the perfect moment, and use our strength. We had a good plan; it’s great to finish it together.”