Van der Poel drives everyone at Alpecin - Marcel Kittel Tour de France analysis

Everybody was expecting a big bunch sprint on stage 1 of the Tour de France, but there was also the obvious risk of echelons, because you could already feel at the start that the wind was getting stronger. 

So in one way, it wasn’t a surprise that the race split in the finale, but I am still surprised at some of the riders and teams who got caught out, because everybody knew what was coming. I’m sure it was a really, really hard day for everybody, but I didn’t expect Soudal-QuickStep to miss out with Tim Merlier and Remco Evenepoel, or Lidl-Trek with Jonathan Milan.

They just were not there when it was really necessary to be there, because it was already the absolute final. That surprised me. I don’t know if it was because they weren’t focused enough, but I know they’ll regret it. They weren’t there in the moment when they really had to be, and that was that.

Alpecin-Deceuninck, on the other hand, did everything exactly right. They were in that front group with their whole lead-out, and it was really impressive how they kept their focus after that all the way to the finish. They did everything right, and they really earned the win by being up there in such a select group with Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar.

It was obviously a bonus for Philipsen that riders like Merlier and Milan weren’t there to sprint against him, but it also meant that Alpecin-Deceuninck had to do a bit more work to keep that front group organised.

At the same time, the group was still big enough to hide a bit, and in the beginning, you could also see how much others in the group were willing to work. There was Pogacar and Vingegaard, but also some Classics guys like Edoardo Affini, and that helped to make the difference and keep the speed high.

And of course, Mathieu van der Poel was a huge factor for Philipsen because he was able to perform two roles. He rode hard at the front to maintain the gap on the chasers, and then he played a big part in the final lead-out too.

Van der Poel is really important and crucial for the success of the team, and I think it says a lot when a champion like that is also investing all he has into someone else’s chances. I think that drives everyone else racing on the team with him – not only Philipsen but also the other guys. It was beautiful to see how much they are committed to their goal of winning that first stage.

In a sprint train, it always helps if the guys involved are friends off the bike too. You will always give that extra percent when that’s the case. And you can see how close Van der Poel, Philipsen and the team are, even their wives and girlfriends are close. I think Van der Poel and Philipsen have a good connection in private too, and I think that explains a lot of how they deal with each – they’re colleagues but also friends. 

You could see how happy Van der Poel was from the reaction at the finish. That’s an honest emotion, and it’s a beautiful part of the sport, being able to celebrate wins like this as a team.

There was more than one sprint on Saturday, of course, and there was a lot of attention paid to Philipsen’s manoeuvre in the intermediate sprint, when he took his hands off the handlebars to remind Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) that he was there. 

The commissaires ultimately decided not to take any action, and there was no yellow card awarded, but in the current climate, it was a risky move from Philipsen, because the jury could have chosen to be really strict and follow up on that, so it could potentially have been a yellow card.

But at the same time, I think you could also see that his intention wasn’t to push Coquard away. I felt like he just wanted to remind him that he was there as well. Was it a potentially dangerous move? I don’t think so. But I would also say that in a time like this, when there’s so much discussion about safety, it’s always better to keep your hands off someone else. 

While Philipsen took the yellow jersey in Lille, the two riders we expect to fight for yellow in Paris were already on the front foot here. It was billed as a day for the sprinters, but every day is a GC day in the modern Tour, so it was no surprise to see Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard so active.

In a way, cycling has changed a lot in the 2020s, but I can also remember stages from years ago that were nervous with crosswinds and echelons, and riders like Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador were really aggressive and trying to make a difference there. 

I think we’re just going to see teams trying to use every opportunity that comes in the first week. They won’t wait for the mountains to look for an advantage.

Sunday is already going to be a day more for the punchier guys, so we could see Pogacar and Vingegaard up there again, as well as Van der Poel. But we could maybe even see Philipsen in the mix too, seeing as he’s in the yellow jersey and clearly feeling good. But I don’t see it being for the pure sprinters, because the climbs are a little bit too steep, and then it’s a pretty tricky technical final and an uphill sprint. It’s not really for the pure sprinters, and that will make riders like Merlier and Milan regret stage 1 even more.