With the Critérium du Dauphiné within the books and the Tour de Suisse underway, one other Tour de France preparation race kicks off on Wednesday as a number of high sprinters tackle the Baloise Belgium Tour.
9-time Tour stage winner Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and fellow Belgian sprinting star Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) headline the sprinting lineup on the five-day race as they appear to place the ending touches on their preparation for the largest race of the yr in July.
The pair will each be eyeing the opening day of the Tour, a flat 185km stage in Lille, as an opportunity to seize the primary victory of the race and with it a uncommon shot at a yellow jersey for a sprinter.
You could like
Earlier than that, they’re going to face off in opposition to the likes of Casper Van Uden (Picnic-PostNL), Juan Sebastián Molano (UAE Group Emirates-XRG), Fernando Gaviria (Movistar), and Alberto Dainese (Tudor) in Belgium.
Talking to WielerFlits forward of Wednesday’s opening stage, 2023 Tour inexperienced jersey winner Philipsen mentioned he’ll be aiming for the maillot jaune in Lille.
“It’s, after all, an excellent alternative for the primary yellow jersey. That’s what we’re going for, however the Tour lasts three weeks and I hope to be there from begin to end,” Philipsen mentioned.
He’ll as soon as once more be capable to depend on teammate Mathieu van der Poel within the Alpecin-Deceuninck lead-out practice this July and mentioned that the Dutchman appears to be in flying kind following his spectacular displaying on the Critérium du Dauphiné.
The most recent race content material, interviews, options, opinions and professional shopping for guides, direct to your inbox!
“What he confirmed within the Critérium du Dauphiné is promising,” he mentioned. “His situation appears superb. I’ve not typically seen him in such a situation for the Tour.”
Merlier, in the meantime, will return to the Tour for the primary time since 2021, when he received stage 3. Again then, he raced alongside Philipsen on the identical workforce however was pressured to desert on stage 9 after dropping from the gruppetto within the Alps.
This yr, he’ll kind a part of Remco Evenepoel’s workforce because the Belgian seeks to battle for the yellow jersey, that means he’ll have fewer riders devoted to the lead-out practice than Philipsen.
He mentioned, nonetheless, that he expects Soudal-QuickStep to go all-in for the win on stage 1.
“The collaboration with Bert Van Lerberghe is one thing that works very nicely between us,” he mentioned of his lead-out man. “However I count on the remainder of the workforce to be there for us within the closing.
“Will probably be a particular Tour. The opening stage shall be essential. The final time the primary stage was for sprinters was some time in the past. So, that can most likely not be the case once more sooner or later.”
Initially, although, the pair shall be doing battle in Belgium, with the opening two levels wanting primed to host a mass dash end forward of the stage 3 time trial and hillier checks throughout the closing two levels.
“In precept, I do not want an additional victory for my confidence for the Tour de France, however I would love it. I give the most effective of myself in each race,” Merlier mentioned, whereas Philipsen mentioned {that a} win can be a “motivational enhance” in a race which supplies him an opportunity to gauge himself in opposition to his rivals.
“A stage win is all the time the aim right here and a motivational enhance for what’s to return. It’s all the time an essential race with a view to what’s but to return,” he mentioned.
“It is a good race to see the place you might be and what your situation is with a view to the Tour. It is all the time good in your confidence if you happen to can win right here and get an excellent feeling.”
The Tour de France is the largest race in biking, and a Cyclingnews subscription presents you limitless entry to our unrivalled protection. Get all of the breaking information and evaluation from our workforce on the bottom in France, plus the most recent professional tech, reside race reviews, and a day by day subscriber-only e-newsletter with unique perception into the motion. Discover out extra.
