It’s hard to argue with Alpecin-Deceuninck team manager Christoph Rodhoft’s statement that “Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen are probably the best combination in the world at the moment”.
At Nogaro, just as they did at Bayonne, Van der Poel and Philipsen combined to give Alpecin-Deceuninck two sprint wins in the 2023 Tour de France.
The sprints were very different but the result was the same: Van der Poel took over from his teammates inside the final kilometer and maneuvered Philipsen into the perfect position for him to start his winning sprint. Either way, every other runner was left fighting for the wheel and quick bread crumbs while cleaning up the Alpecin-Deceuninck.
Van der Poel and Phillipsen are special riders but neither would have won without the other; The most powerful and classic cyclists in the sport who are currently teaming up with the fastest finisher in the peloton to devastating effect.
“No other rider could probably do what Mathieu did in the final, either technically or physically. Roodhooft said in praise.
“Netflix named Philipsen ‘Jasper the Carolina’ but we need a new title for him now”.
Soon someone on social media dubbed him “the fastest Jasper”.
Survive and thrive in enemy chaos
The laid-back Belgian from North Flanders has twice beaten all his rivals in the sprint and has also donned the green points jersey, confirming he may have stepped up even from 2022 when he won two stages in the Tour, including on the Champs-Elysees in Paris.
“I’m really happy and proud to have such a strong team and lead. Even in a bad situation, I’m really happy and proud to have such a strong team,” Philipsen said of the final race, which was affected by crashes and high-speed sprints to the line.
“It’s only possible when you have such a strong team behind you. It’s an honor to have Matthew as the last man. I guess not many other players can say that.”
At Bayonne, Van der Poel led Philipsen out of the group of sprinters so he could get to the front at the final bend from a neat finish and close the door on Wout Van Aert and everyone else.
On the high-speed turns and turns at the Paul Armagnac motor racing circuit in Nogaro north of Pau, Philipsen lost Van der Poel’s wheel, found it again and then towed over Biniam Girmay (Inmarché-Circus-Wanty) and Fabio Jakobsen (Soudal-QuickStep), with Van der Poel bumped and bounced his way to the front and Philipsen hung by the tails of his coat to ride fast into the final 200 metres.
After two hours of sprinting to win, it emerged that Van der Poel had been fined CHF500 and relegated from 16th to 22nd for heavy use of elbows. However, nothing could dampen his personal satisfaction, as Roodhooft would gladly pay for the misdemeanour.
“I almost feel the same way about winning myself. It’s really cool,” said Van der Poel after hugging Phillipsen to celebrate their second win and then warming up with a big smile on his face on the bus.
“I love to boot, especially when Jasper can finish it every time if you leave him in the center perfectly, that’s amazing.”
However, Van der Poel admitted that they were far from perfect, as he was improvising and running the turbo charges to pull Philipsen forward.
“We had a plan, but it was impossible to implement,” he admitted.
“For a long time we were in a group following players and hoping to find a gap at the right moment. It was very difficult to get out front so we had to adapt. Luckily I was able to find a little gap to take the lead for Jasper.”
Kittel impressed with the group of modern racers
Van der Poel and Philipsen make their two race wins sound pretty easy. They were not. The combination of a cyclocross star and classic winner with a sprinter is a new phenomenon for this generation.
As sprint finishes have become faster and more complex, with a broader generation of runners capable of winning, the best teams have adapted to survive and thrive.
Full command teams are cumbersome and overly complex. In the chaos of the modern peloton, the two-cycler combo seems like the best option, with Van der Poel and Philipsen currently the best in the world and a huge step above their rivals.
“I think it’s not the first time we’ve seen a legend in the sport work for his sprinter,” former Tour de France runner Marcel Kittel — who has 14 Grand Tour stage wins to his name — suggested to a group of Tour de France media, including: in that cycling news.
“Van der Poel is arguably the most expensive guy up front but he’s impressive. He’s incredibly strong and he really loves doing it.
“They waited until the last kilometer to get up and that says a lot about their strategy, about their understanding of each other, their trust in each other. That’s something you need to win races and other teams don’t seem to have at the moment. It’s a huge advantage for them.”
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