"The most sensible thing to do is to focus on the seven sprint opportunities" - Green jersey not the main goal for Jasper Philipsen at Tour de France

Jasper Philipsen has had tremendous success at the Tour de France over the last few years in the sprints, and he looks to repeat that success in July. The green jersey is not an initial goal, although the Belgian admits he could aim at it if he wins big early on.

“I realize all too well that if I want to wear green in Paris, I have to be on schedule right from the opening stages,” Philipsen told Het Belang van Limburg. “I think the most sensible thing to do is to focus on the seven sprint opportunities that await us. If I score as high as possible in that respect, the green will follow automatically.”

Philipsen will go in as a leader for Alpecin-Deceuninck and after a brilliant spring where he won twice at Tirreno-Adriatico, won Classic Brugge-De Panne and then finished second to Mathieu van der Poel at Paris-Roubaix. He hasn't raced since Eschborn-Frankfurt but has been active over the past month, training at altitude in La Planche as did many riders of the men's and women's Alpecin teams.

“During the team training camp I participated in all the training sessions with the boys. In other words: build up endurance and cycle uphill. I am now riding the Eleven Cities Round and the Baloise Belgium Tour in function to regain rhythm and fine-tune my sprint," he reveals, choosing not to race neither the Dauphiné or Suisse. "Specific sprint training sessions await between those races so that I can regain speed in my legs."