Philipsen or Merlier? Patrick Lefevere believes Belgium can afford to bet on both horses at European Championships: "Sometimes the best choice is not to make a choice"

The 2024 European Championships will, for the first in the race's history, take place in Belgium. And the Belgian national coach Sven Vanthourenhout won't have an easy time pointing his finger at just one leader with two top-tier sprinters both eyeing the race. Patrick Lefevere suggests that the easiest solution would be to bring both Tim Merlier and Jasper Philipsen to the race and see what happens.

"I admit: national coach Sven Vanthourenhout has a tough choice to make," the team boss of Soudal - Quick-Step begins in his Het Nieuwsblad column. "Do you want to sprint with Tim Merlier or with Jasper Philipsen on September 15? Or do you want to take them both? If you ask me: I would dare to go for the latter."

"I appreciate Sven, but that doesn’t change the fact that I would be seriously annoyed if he didn’t take Tim Merlier to the European Championships. I’m talking about Tim, who you can’t deny this chance based on his season. Jasper Philipsen wins three stages in the Tour, but Tim didn’t ride the Tour for the well-known reason. And he did win three stages in the Giro. Allow me to add: without lead-outs from Mathieu van der Poel."

Jasper Philipsen was promised a spot in the selection after missing out on the Olympic Games. For Lefevere, that would be a political choice. "I especially hope that there are no 'politics' involved in the selection. You hear left and right that Philipsen has an advantage at the European Championships because he was previously not allowed to go to the Olympic Games. Sorry, I think that is bullshit. What role should Philipsen have claimed in Paris? That was not a course for sprinters."

The Belgian team boss does not want to take anything away from Jasper Philipsen's performances. For him, there is only one right outcome. "I know that the riders themselves are not fans of it, but if I were national coach, I would select both Merlier and Philipsen. If it comes to a sprint in Limburg, they can both do their own thing. In a stage race, a selection with two sprinters is never a good idea, but the European Championship is a one-day race. Sometimes the best choice is not to make a choice," he concludes.