This is how Philipsen and Alpecin-Deceuninck approach the Omloop: "Riders like Van Aert know that too"

Philipsen is one of the riders who starts his season from a high-altitude camp and whom we have not yet seen in action. "It's exciting, more exciting than usual. We hope to start well. Many races have already passed, which you follow, so the urge to race becomes greater," said the Belgian.

In the absence of Mathieu van der Poel – who did announce his spring schedule for Alpecin-Deceuninck – Philipsen, along with Gianni Vermeersch and Quinten Hermans, was the man to watch in the run-up to the Opening Weekend. "Of course, I hope to win right away, but to say that it's realistic is something else... that race toughness will be possible at this level. I see Sunday as a better opportunity considering the type of rider I am," he assesses his chances for the Omloop and Kuurne.

Last year, Philipsen had a disappointing ending to the final weekend of February. "Last year wasn't great, as we all know. My current values? I don't really focus on that. If I look at theose think I'm just a C-level rider. So, I don't take it too seriously," laughs the Belgian. "Now we've made a small adjustment in terms of altitude, which allowed me to stay longer and come home earlier. We were able to work very well and do what we needed to do. I'm confident that we can score," says the winner of the green jersey.

However, he will have to get past the quite strong Visma | Lease a Bike team, which also expertly finished off the first two Flemish races in 2023. How will Philipsen arm himself against the killer bees? "Try to follow and get over the Bosberg. Riders like Wout van Aert know this too and will try to break open the race, which is also in their favor with the wind. That makes things a bit more difficult for us, but I still see possibilities. Is there an alliance against them? I'm not in that WhatsApp group yet..." he jokes, getting laughs in response.

Vermeersch agrees that anything can happen. "The race can suddenly be cracked wide open, as it did last year. Visma | Lease a Bike is obviously strong, but every team is bringing a strong rider to the start." Hermans, who only does the Omloop as a cobblestone race, also nods. "It's a bit of a different approach than last year, which I think is better suited for the Ardennes classics. My ambition for this weekend remains unchanged: we still want to win and be in a position to win. We'll try again, but it's a tough finale and we know a lot can happen with the wind heading in the direction of Ninove. So, we need to dive in and be vigilant, but it's not up to us to break open the race."

The weather might also play a role, but that doesn't really bother Philipsen. He's eager to start. "I might be a bit more of a couch cyclist than Arnaud De Lie," he winks. "He's very strong at that, with me it can go either way. I've had good rides, but also lesser ones. It doesn't scare me. Omloop is the start of spring and it's always exciting, especially as a Flemish. I also want to score there and am motivated."

So, Philipsen's goal for this spring is clear. "My strongest weapon is in the sprint, but I want to keep making progress in the classics. There are certainly a number of races I can win, but a race like De Ronde is a different story. I'm thinking more along the lines of Sanremo, Gent-Wevelgem... Those races should normally suit me well. Winning a classic is the goal. A Monument is very ambitious, but I see other races as big opportunities. I would gladly exchange a Scheldeprijs for that."

Final question: does racing with or without Van der Poel make a difference for this weekend? "Every race is an opportunity," Philipsen correctly notes. For Hermans and Vermeersch, who say they're "not as much the ones to finish things off as Philipsen", things might be a bit different. "Racing with Mathieu is not a disadvantage. Especially if there's early anticipation, many people always watch Mathieu's moves. We can benefit from that and as a team, we have a bigger chance with Mathieu."