"I don't think it's a maneuver that justifies it" - Alpecin-Deceuninck boss fumes at Jasper Philipsen's stage 6 relegation at 2024 Tour de France

Jasper Philipsen's bad luck at the 2024 Tour de France continued on stage 6 in Dijon. Having initially narrowly missed out on the stage win to Dylan Groenewegen in a photo finish, the Belgian was then relegated by the race jury for a dangerous sprint.

Although this isn't the first time that Philipsen has been perceived by fans to have acted dangerously in the finale of a bunch sprint, the fact he's been punished by the race jury is a slight surprise. No one is more surprised than Alpecin-Deceuninck team boss, Christophe Roodhooft, as he explained in his own post-stage interview with Wielerflits.

"We got a call from the UCI and heard the penalty. We also watched the sprint. It's very clear that the boarding is not straight ahead. And when Wout van Aert comes in a bit, he also holds back a bit," Roodhooft begins his defence of his team leader. "It all came together a bit. I don't think it's a maneuver that justifies it 100%. But there's something to be said for both sides."  

“This is hard. First there was the disappointment of the previous sprints and now this. A declassification like this is always special. That Van Aert said he should be punished? I didn't read what he said. I assume that the UCI will not be influenced by the words or reprimands of opponents,” continues the Alpecin-Deceuninck team boss. “I think we have to stay positive, despite everything that happened today. It was a textbook sprint, the lead-out was great. Our goal is to win a stage and today we were close. The green is no longer in our own hands. Before the declassification we were close again, but now we are far back in the rankings.”

Dylan Groenewegen was the eventual winner of the day, even prior to Philipsen's relegation. Due to the decision of the race jury however, Biniam Girmay and Fernando Gaviria now complete the stage podium.