'It was an ideal situation' - Philipsen plays off Van der Poel to win Gent-Wevelgem

The name of the bike race has changed, but the basic premise remained the same. You can call it Gent-Wevelgem or you can call it In Flanders Fields, but you can’t call the outcome until the dust settles after the final ascent of the Kemmelberg.

For Jasper Philipsen and his Alpecin-Premier Tech team, something close to the ideal scenario unfolded on the third haul up the race’s pivotal climb. Mathieu van der Poel pressed his way clear on the Kemmelberg with Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike), while Philipsen bided his time in the chasing peloton.

In a similar scenario two years ago, Van der Poel went to the line with Mads Pedersen and then lost a two-up sprint. This time out, Van der Poel was more sparing in his efforts in front, mindful that Philipsen had the winning of any bunch sprint behind.

And so it proved. Van der Poel and Van Aert were swept up in the finale, and then Philipsen delivered a rasping sprint on Vanackerestraat to scoop up the spoils.

On taking a seat in the pressroom in Wevelgem, Philipsen could only smile when it was put to him that the race had gone according to plan. He knows only too well that nothing is ever certain on that interminable run-in from the Kemmelberg to Wevelgem.

“We always have to see how the race goes and what’s the situation after the last Kemmel,” Philipsen said. “I knew there would be a lot of sprinters or sprint teams still here, so you know there would always be some kind of chase behind. But you just don’t know what the situation in the front will be. 

“That Mathieu would be in the front, that was maybe not the biggest surprise, but it also depends how strong he was together with the other guys that were in front. I think Mathieu said that he didn’t have the best legs after Friday, but they weren’t too bad if he was still in front... I just had to be ready for an eventual sprint, if it all came together or not.”

Ultimately, Philipsen’s plan was to roll the dice. “Today was a gamble and playing all or nothing,” he said. “We had Mathieu at the front, which was an ideal situation for us. I kept myself very calm.”

Gent-Wevelgem sits snugly in the intersection of Philipsen’s gifts as a sprinter and a Classics rider, but he leant deliberately on his speed here. Whereas Philipsen was an aggressor on the cobbles and hills of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad a month ago, he managed his energy more carefully here. Van der Poel was instead Alpecin’s designated attacker, while Philipsen followed where he could in anticipation of a possible sprint. 

“On paper, it was always a race that I would be able to win or would have a good chance to win,” Philipsen said. “But I also knew from the past that I didn’t have the best legs anymore in Wevelgem because I spent too much energy during the race on the hills, so I tried to be more calm and more relaxed and save energy. 

“And of course, with a guy like Mathieu in our team, I also have the possibility to do so, because if he would not be there, of course, we would have to also be in the race and try to not let a strong group right away.”

Philipsen’s victory was his second of the season after Nokere Koerse, and the squad has also collected Omloop and E3 Harelbeke through Van der Poel. Murmurs that the Alpecin’s Classics depth had been weakened by some key departures over the winter haven’t yet been borne out by events on the road, and Philipsen had new arrivals Florian Sénéchal and Jonas Geens for company in the finale.

“It always takes time for the new guys just to get momentum a little bit in the team and see how things work in our team and how we like to communicate or ride together or whatever,” said Philipsen. “If you come in a new environment, you always have to adapt a little bit.”

Despite his triumph here, Philipsen confirmed that he would not be part of Van der Poel’s supporting cast at the Tour of Flanders next Sunday. Like the past three years, he will skip the Ronde to spare himself for Scheldeprijs and Paris-Roubaix.

“I think the Tour of Flanders is a really hard race, and to be honest, there will be only two or three guys that will be able to win this race,” said Philipsen, who played a straight bat when asked if Gent-Wevelgem sat more comfortably within his range than Paris-Roubaix.

“Difficult question. I think Roubaix is a race where anything can happen. You can say it’s easier to win Gent-Wevelgem, because I won this one now and I haven’t won Roubaix so far – but we will see if I could ever be able to win as well.”