"I really don't think there's any malice behind it" - Thomas Dekker defends Jasper Philipsen's 'irregular' sprinting

Jasper Philipsen is currently on a drought when it comes to sprint victories, having finished second three times. On the second occasion, he was relegated for his line deviation against Wout Van Aert. The Belgian later apologized for his actions online, but Dutch ex-pro Thomas Dekker doesn't expect any change in Philipsen' approach to bunch finishes.

Dekker has his own thoughts about it. "It's not meant that way," says the analyst in the podcast Live Slow, Ride Fast. "That doesn't matter, because I really don't think there's any malice behind it."

"With the UCI and jury it is not consistent. One time Cavendish goes all the way to the left and Philipsen follows. Pedersen falls through the swing, and then the fine goes to Bauhaus... That is difficult to explain. A day later you have a decent sprinter like Van Aert who is hindered. Philipsen is just a typical sprinter, here it has to happen for him."

According to Dekker, Philipsen should be happy that Van Aert was next to him. "Van Aert won't get through, but plenty of other sprinters will. If you're a real sprinter and you have to rely on that."

According to Dekker, Philipsen does not sprint deliberately to make someone fall or hurt someone, but there is definitely an image thing. "It is not without reason that it is immediately about Philipsen. I was looking at him more than at Dylan Groenewegen. I only saw at the end that Groenewegen won."

Dekker further emphasizes that it is not at all personal towards the sprinter of Alpecin-Deceuninck. "We have nothing against Philipsen, but we name what we see. And this is how it comes across."