Newly topped Milan-San Remo champion Jasper Philipsen sprinted to victory within the Traditional Brugge-De Panne one-day race in Belgium on Wednesday afternoon.
The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider’s second win in 4 days got here on the finish of a chaotic run-in to De Panne, with the entire bunch contesting the ultimate kilometres over slim farm roads and tight bends within the last kilometre of the 198km race.
Tim Merlier (Soudal-Fast Step) got here in second and Danny Van Poppel (Bora-Hansgrohe) third, regardless of having an in depth name with a drainage ditch with six kilometres remaining.
As they crossed the road, Merlier was seen remonstrating with Philipsen over a conflict of shoulders going into the final 250m. The pair had each gone for a niche on the left-hand aspect behind Van Poppel; it evidently wasn’t large enough for each of them, and had been compelled to again off.
Not surprisingly, winner Philipsen was blissful to play the incident down.
“I had a variety of positions to make up within the final nook, and I acquired into Tim Merlier’s wheel – it is the most effective wheel you may get on to,” Philipsen stated, maybe hoping to mollify his countryman. “I attempted to come back via on the left however the hole was so small. In the long run I got here shoulder to shoulder with Tim, it is a bit of a disgrace, however I am blissful to win.”
Requested whether or not he was within the type of his life given his two wins this week, the 26-year-old concurred that he possible had been at Milan-San Remo on the weekend.
“On Saturday I in all probability had my greatest legs that I’ve had to this point,” he stated. “Immediately was a bit totally different, however in a dash or a race like this you do not have to be 110% to win, however after all you want a little bit little bit of luck and in addition good legs.”
Philipsen made large strides final season, shrugging off his ‘Jasper Catastrophe’ tag to win the Tour de France inexperienced jersey and take 19 different victories. On present kind it appears as if the successful is about to proceed.
The strain is clearly off for Alpecin and Philipsen in the Classics for this spring, however a relaxed rider is a harmful rider, and he has no intention of taking his foot off the gasoline, he stated: “I hope so as to add one other victory within the coming weeks, that may be good for certain, as there’s solely essential races to come back. I feel the Classics are already an enormous success for us, so something further is a cherry on the cake.”
This weekend sees extra Classics motion, with the E3 Saxo Traditional on Friday and Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday.
