Alpecin-Premier Tech rolled back the years as they rolled out an old-fashioned lead-out train in Bordeaux at the end of stage 7 of the Tour de France. There was an issue, however, with the final carriage.
Jasper Philipsen, the Tour’s dominant sprinter of recent years, fell flat, fading badly despite the red-carpet treatment.
The Belgian, already a winner of 10 Tour stages, had hinted at a lack of form after the opening sprint stage on Wednesday, and while Friday’s sprint looked so promising, it confirmed he is a shadow of his usual self.
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“It was an amazing team effort so I’m happy with that but of course I’m disappointed with my own legs and my own sprint,” Philipsen said after the finish.
“That’s just not how it should be and not how my legs should be.”
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As on Wednesday, Alpecin-Premier Tech controlled the peloton all day alongside the Soudal Quick-Step team of eventual winner Tim Merlier. And they had complete control in the finale, too, with a full lead-out train of five riders, each peeling off in turn in the final 2500 metres.
In an era of messy run-ins, it was a throwback to the lead-out trains of old in the classic Tour de France sprinting city of Bordeaux, with Philipsen dropped off at 250 metres to go by none other than Mathieu van der Poel.
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There is an argument that 250 metres was too far in the slight headwind, and Philipsen was disrupted by a shoulder brush with Fernando Gaviria (Caja Rural), but they didn’t fully explain his defeat. The difference in speed between Philipsen and his great rival Merlier was stark.
“We just have to look into it. The only thing I can say is I did everything I could. I rode as fast as possible but it was not fast enough,” Philipsen said.
“The sensations are OK and we take it day by day. Today I didn’t have the speed in my legs but hopefully it will come.
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Asked whether the heat was holding him back, he replied: “The heat is there for everyone. It’s really demanding for the body. The muscles are sore, we try to tackle it as good as possible and so far it’s going OK.”
Team boss: ‘We do not blame Jasper’
Alpecin-Premier Tech team manager Christophe Roodhooft also spoke to reporters in Bordeaux.
He didn’t have an explanation for his star sprinter’s struggles, but neither was he going to come down too hard on him.
“The lead-out was all perfect – nothing to say about it,” said Roodhooft.
“In the end, Jasper launched his sprint and he could not take up the speed he is usually having. We have to wait a bit [to see why].”
Asked if had an explanation, Roodhooft replied: “If we could explain it, it would not happen. That’s too difficult to say. It stays a sport and sometimes it’s good as well.”
He was delighted with the team’s performance as a whole but it’s not resulting in the success they’ve enjoyed in previous editions.
“In the preparation we can do nothing differently. I put my signature on every day that we do it like this,” Roodhooft said of the way the sprint was set up.
“It’s also about the form of the day, in the end. We do not blame Jasper. It’s just what it is. It’s sport and he’s human.”
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