'It gives a lot of confidence' - Philipsen wins Copenhagen Sprint to fire Tour de France warning

Philipsen was returning to competition for the first time in two months following his DNF at Paris Roubaix. The Tour de France, which starts in Barcelona on 4 July, is now his next race. 

He was honest in his post race interview about how hard the day had been on his body after the layoff.

"Oh, it was tough. It was really tough to be back in competition after a few months off, since Roubaix when I was not racing," Philipsen said at the finish. "It was a bit painful to have the speed in the legs today. The speed was very high all day. Just the city-centre course is accelerating all the time. It's just really tough for the body."

For the second year in succession, a crash on the final lap shaped the outcome of the Copenhagen Sprint. The 2025 edition was also disrupted in the closing kilometres, with Jordi Meeus going on to take victory.

“Yeah, of course it had a big impact on how the race unfolded in the end. It was quite hectic all day. Just like last year, there was a crash on the final lap. It is a bit of a pity for the guys who went down and for everyone who wanted to see a nice bunch sprint. I just hope everybody involved in the crash is okay. I am also happy with my shape and how things are going. Bad luck is part of the sport, unfortunately. I just hope everybody is okay,” Philipsen said.

The breakaway lasted longer than the sprint teams would have wanted, with the peloton only catching the move inside the final kilometre.

“Yeah, I think all the teams contributed very well to bringing the breakaway back. The speed was very high all day. I do not know the average speed, but it felt pretty fast. The riders in the breakaway must have been very strong today.”

The victory was Philipsen’s first since Gent Wevelgem in March, and Alpecin-Premier Tech will now arrive at the Tour de France with its lead sprinter in form.

“Yeah, of course it gives me a lot of confidence as well. Unfortunately, we did not get to see that big bunch sprint today because of the crash. I am just happy that I could take the win. A win is a win, so it is always important. I am happy with my shape and am just looking for those final few percentages,” the Belgian concluded.

Philipsen’s 2026 season had previously delivered victories at Danilith Nokere Koerse and Gent Wevelgem before his DNF at Paris Roubaix forced him into a long break. 

The Belgian’s 2025 Tour ended early when he abandoned on stage 3 following a crash with Bryan Coquard during the intermediate sprint. He later rebounded to win three stages at the 2025 Vuelta a España.