Aside from the raw power in his legs, another big benefit for Philipsen is the incredible leadout he has with the Alpecin-Deceuninck team, most notably being able to call upon the current world champion,
Mathieu van der Poel as his final man in the sprint. "We rode the Baloise Belgium Tour with
Robbe Ghys and
Jonas Rickaert, who are there now, and then Mathieu joins them," details Philipsen. "In the best case, we can fully exploit that potential, but let's see how it goes."
Ahead of the expected first sprint finish, there isn't clear knowledge on who the superior sprinter is at this year's edition, despite the cards more than likely favouring Philipsen. As such, stage 3 offers a chance for the Belgian to put a marker down and let all the rest of the peloton's fast men know, that he remains the dominant force on the flat stages.
“The first sprint is always exciting, the value ratios still have to be determined. There are a lot of fast guys on paper, but I'm looking forward to it," Philipsen concludes. “I hope to measure myself today and seize the opportunity immediately. There will still be opportunities, but today would be nice. Everyone wants to score straight away, but we are only on day three. It will certainly be hectic.”
