Jasper Philipsen makes crucial Tour de France preparation change - No Tour de Suisse as Baloise Belgium Tour awaits

Jasper Philipsen has made a clear deviation in his sprint to the Tour de France, but the move could be set to reward the Belgian fast man. Initially set to ride next week's Tour de Suisse, he will instead reportedly take to the line for the Baloise Belgium Tour.

It was initially reported that Philipsen would pair with Mathieu van der Poel in Switzerland as they prepare to spearhead Alpecin - Premier Tech's pursuit of Tour de France stage victories this summer. HLN reports that Philipsen made the change over sprint opportunities.

But Alpecin will have to wait before unleashing the versatile classics duo on the peloton, and Philipsen instead faces the prospect of an early rendezvous with former teammate Tim Merlier and Mads Pedersen.

The change is certainly understandable. Tour de Suisse offers a maximum of two sprint opportunities for Philipsen, while the Belgian stage race offers three or even four chances for the fastest to stretch their legs.

In a season that's blown hot and cold for Philipsen, the ten-time Tour stage winner has only been on the top of the podium twice - although one of those was high-profile classic In Flanders Fields - formerly known as Ghent Wevelgem.

Philipsen hasn't raced since Paris Roubaix, a race that ended in disappointment as he gave his bike to van der Poel following a flat for the Dutch rider on the legendary Arenberg cobbled section. The move to give his teammate a bike effectively ended his race, leaving him far behind the front of affairs in the unforgiving race.

The preparation race is sure to see Tour de France excitement reach a boiling point and Philipsen is among the top stage hunters at the July showpiece. The preliminary team for Alpecin includes Jonas Rickaert, Kaden Groves, van der Poel and Emiel Verstrynge.

Other sprinting contenders at the Baloise Belgium Tour, kicking off on June 17th, include Olav Kooij, Milan Fretin and Dylan Groenewegen.