Philipsen hits the mark in Turkey: “Fortunately, Greipel has left room”

Philipsen hits the mark in Turkey: “Fortunately, Greipel has left room”

Friday April 16, 2021 at 4:54 PM

On Wednesday, Jasper Philipsen was still disappointed after his third consecutive second place in the Tour of Turkey, but two days later the Antwerp native was allowed to cheer. In Marmaris, he beat André Greipel in the sprint.

“Of course, I was disappointed with three second places. If I don’t make any mistakes in the sprint, everything should still fall in the right place. I am very happy to have finally won here in Turkey, ”said Philipsen after the finish. Alpecin-Fenix ​​have already seen Sacha Modolo, Alexander Krieger and Alexander Richardson retire this week, which meant that the team’s tactics had to be adjusted as the sprint approached. “I had to rely a little more on the other teams.”

The 23-year-old Scheldeprijs winner was also unsure whether he could compete in the sprint due to a problem with his bicycle. “In the last five kilometers my chain fell off so I had to drive a lot more power to maintain speed. I was pretty sure I wouldn’t win the sprint, but I kept going on the right wheel and was able to sprint at the end. I was glad Greipel left room. Otherwise it would have been impossible.

“Winning a stage here after the Scheldeprijs is also great. Hopefully in the next couple of days we can make this week even better. We all knew our new teammate Jay Vine had what it took to climb, but the real race is a little different. He showed his true potential yesterday. Maybe we can help him with a few seconds before we win the standings, ”said Philipsen.