‘All the shit you get’ - Philipsen reveals he deleted Instagram as win blows green jersey battle wide open

Speaking on the flash interview after the finish, a visibly relieved Philipsen opened up about the mental toll the opening weeks had taken on him, with the Belgian enduring near-misses in the first two weeks.

"After such a roller coaster of emotions in this Tour de France, I had to wait until stage 17," Philipsen said. "I was prepared very, very well. I was in the shape of my life, I think. The first 12 days were just horrible. I couldn't find myself, couldn't find the feeling I was hoping for."

The sprinter admitted that the pressure and lack of early success turned him into "an angry bird at the table," dealing with self-doubt, heavy criticism, and even deleting his social media accounts to protect his mental health within the team bubble.

"It was just the fact that I was not on my level that I was hoping for. Mentally, it was a really tough roller coaster. All the shit you get, deleting my Instagram and whatever. Just trying to be with my team members in our own bubble."

The victory was far from straightforward after a grueling day from kilometre zero. Philipsen revealed that he thought the stage was lost mid-race as he fought to bridge gaps and stay in contention, noting that the grueling effort "really cost me a few years of my life." 

However, stellar tactical riding and a massive lead-out orchestrated by teammate Mathieu van der Poel swung the pendulum in Philipsen’s favour.

Reflecting on his role in the victory, Van der Poel explained how the team managed a chaotic day on the road:

"It was a very hard day all day, and I just tried to be in the front, be in each important group," Van der Poel told TNT Sports. "Edouard was in the front group, so I think in the end we always had somebody in one of the groups, and that was what made the victory a bit easier to achieve."

Beyond the emotional relief of a stage win, Philipsen’s triumph breathed new life into his bid for the green jersey, bringing him within striking distance of classification leader Mads Pedersen.

"With this win, I also take a lot of points," Philipsen said. "The next stages are very, very tough, but I will keep on fighting until Paris."

With the points gap narrowing to just seven points between Pedersen and Philipsen, the battle for the sprinters' classification is set to go down to the wire as the race heads into its decisive final days.