Mathieu van der Poel laments Biniam Girmay's fall at Tour de France's final sprint: "This is not the way you want to win"

In the first week of the Tour de France 2024, things didn't seem to be going well for Alpecin-Deceuninck, but the picture has changed completely. On stage 16, Jasper Philipsen took his third stage win so far in the race, thanks to impeccable teamwork and, in particular, perfect sprint preparation by Mathieu van der Poel.

"We were determined to win," Van der Poel told WielerFlits after the race. This year, Alpecin-Deceuninck is competing in the Tour de France in a special uniform called 'Grey Attack'. The formation, led by Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen, will wear this new gray version for three weeks.

"This was our last chance before Nice. The team did fantastic," commented Van der Poel. His team took its third stage win today, after a difficult start. "We never doubt. A lot of times it all comes down to the details. It's important for Jasper to get his confidence back and maybe he also has better legs, which allows him to sprint more confidently. Then he's still one of the fastest sprinters in the world."

Now, with Biniam Girmay's crash and Philipsen's victory, the fight for the green jersey has become tighter, with only 32 points separating them. Do they still believe at Alpecin-Deceuninck in the possibility of winning the green jersey? "Now it's important to finish the Tour in the best possible way. We weren't really focused on the green," Van der Poel continued. "This is not the way you want to win. We hope Girmay is okay. Now, the goal is to get to Nice in the best possible shape."

Van der Poel, the World champion, played a crucial role with a powerful launch, similar to the one he made on the stage to Saint-Amand-Montrond, paving the way for his Belgian teammate. "I think we did it perfectly once again. The big difference is that now Jasper has the confidence to start his sprint. Maybe he also has better legs," Van der Poel added to Sporza.

"If I can position Jasper like this, he's almost unbeatable. It's a pity Jonas (Rickaert) wasn't in this sprint. He's crucial in the sprint train, but Gianni (Vermeersch, ed.) did a good job in his place," praised Van der Poel. "I also fit well with Jasper as a sprinter."

The last kilometers in Nîmes were very chaotic, according to the man in the rainbow jersey. "The roundabouts at the finish, I don't consider them a negative thing. The peloton gets a bit longer, but I heard there were crashes. That's unfortunate," referring to the fall of green jersey wearer Biniam Girmay.