Will De Panne feud between Philipsen and Merlier continue to fester? "If it's up to me, then no"

By now, Philipsen understands how things work. Right after the finish, the emotions were still running high, especially for Merlier. "It was a close call. We nearly ended up with a couple of broken collarbones. At the moment I wanted to make my move, I received a push from behind, and a bit later, when I wanted to push through, if I had done so, Jasper and I might have ended up over the guardrail, and I would probably have been to blame. A bit after that, I was stuck with my front wheel just behind the man of BORA-hansgrohe, so I simply had no space and no time left to come out from behind him completely. Sprinting always involves a risk, and maybe I've been too cautious, but I don't want to cause anyone to die," Merlier stated.

"When something like this happens, the media of course likes to jump on it," winner Philipsen shared at the press conference. "It's a typical incident for a sprint, but I'm mainly glad that we all managed to stay upright and it remained safe. Who is at fault? I think that's hard to pinpoint. Everything happens very fast, and you have to make your decisions in a split second. Everyone tries to sprint as fairly as possible. Unfortunately, such incidents do happen, but luckily not on that final straight this time. There were a few falls in the last corner, but ultimately, it's somewhat typical," Philipsen remarked, having had a good chance to reflect on the incident after the race, numerous TV interviews and a doping check.

"We knew beforehand that it was going to be nervous and hectic," the Belgian explained. "There was little to be done about it. Last year the weather conditions were completely different, and then the dangerous point is somewhere else, right before De Moeren. Now, it was on the final straight line, but ultimately, it's always dangerous and hectic at some point."

Philipsen also felt there wasn't much room left on that left side of the road. "When I felt Tim coming, I realized the gap was getting very small. I would have preferred not to make the decision to go left, but that's in hindsight. All in all, I'm glad nothing happened. Tim was also just starting his sprint, so I had to hold back. I don't want to drive anyone into the fences, of course, but fortunately, we both got through and could still do our sprint. Although I did think it was over at one point."

The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider does not expect any tension to linger between the two. "If it's up to me, then definitely not. We can put it into perspective quickly, and there's also some disappointment involved immediately after the finish. I might have felt the same in his situation, but on my end, there's no resentment." Merlier also indicated after the finish that this would not be the case, so with that, the matter between the two is settled. "I already shook his hand on the podium."

Philipsen is now focusing on his next major goal: Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday, where he starts alongside Mathieu van der Poel. "We have to combine our strengths again and go as far as possible together, so Mathieu can always race more relaxed with me behind him, playing that game. It's not rocket science, how we're going to approach it. The race will show how far we get, but it's also no secret that Mathieu likes to race aggressively."

"My legs were significantly better on Saturday than last year. I think I can maintain that form for a while," affirms the speedy Flemish rider, who is not worried about the predicted wind in the 260-kilometer race. "I prefer that to a race like this one, in Classic Brugge-De Panne. It's also nice to be part of making the race. There are still beautiful races to come, so hopefully, we can keep the momentum going," says Philipsen, who, despite winning Classic Brugge-De Panne, will still not compete in the Scheldeprijs. "It's already a busy schedule, including recon of Paris-Roubaix and the like."

Philipsen has now proven he can win after a tough race, but also a straightforward one. A man of two worlds, you could say. "I'm also quite surprised by that," he admits candidly. "I might have expected that my sprint wouldn't be that good anymore, because I also trained more towards the classics to get over that Poggio. That sprint there didn't say much either, as it was more of a junior sprint. Even Pogacar almost beat me there," Philipsen smiled.

"But ultimately, I'm pleased that things turned out okay. I find it impressive how the coaches can time that form so well: in Tirreno-Adriatico and the Opening Weekend, I didn't really feel great yet, but they already knew I didn't need to panic, while I was probably a bit impatient myself. They know what they are doing," concludes Philipsen.