As mentioned though, Philipsen more than proved his worth eventually, giving all that he had in support of the eventual winner Van der Poel. "I am very happy that he wins," adds a delighted Philipsen with a smile.
Despite not being at his very best, Philipsen was still praised by teammates after, with
Quinten Hermans singling out the Belgian for a warm word in his own post-race interview. "Jasper didn't feel great and it's very clever that an ex-winner sacrifices his chances," notes Hermans. "He dropped us off perfectly at the Cipressa. Hats off to him for doing that. He can always go for his own chance, but he sacrificed himself completely. Luckily we were honest with each other. I took the lead just before the Cipressa, but Jasper told me he would do it. He did that perfectly."
With this win for Van der Poel, it now also marks three straight victories at Milano-Sanremo for the Alpecin-Deceuninck team. "We have the type of rider for it. This race is a specialty of our team," comments Hermans on this incredible trifecta for his team.