The best-profile Classics identify absent from the Belgian cobbled curtain-raiser at Opening Weekend was undoubtedly Mathieu van der Poel , with the Dutch famous person opting to start out his 2024 highway season with a Milan-San Remo defence in three weeks as an alternative.
Issues did not go fully to plan in Van der Poel’s absence, nonetheless, with Gianni Vermeersch’s 18th place at Omloop the perfect results of the weekend for the crew, with Philipsen having completed in 66th and 92nd.
In fact, there was extra to the story than a pair of numbers on the outcomes sheet. Philipsen’s first outing of the season on Saturday noticed him make the entrance group after Visma-Lease a Bike blew the race aside 130km from the road.
Nonetheless, he’d fade because the kilometres ticked by, ultimately closing out the day 4 minutes down on winner Jan Tratnik, saying that “the barrel was empty” the subsequent morning.
“I felt OK, and I used to be proud of my first emotions,” he advised WielerFlits
“I nonetheless want Tirreno-Adriatico to achieve my prime degree. We labored laborious at camp and that can come to fruition within the coming weeks.”
Forward of the weekend, Philipsen acknowledged his ambition to win a significant Traditional sooner or later this spring.
Final season he loved his finest Classics marketing campaign but, profitable each the Traditional Brugge-De Panne and Scheldeprijs whereas additionally ending fourth on the Dwars door Vlaanderen. He additionally adopted Van der Poel into the Paris-Roubaix velodrome to finish an Alpecin-Deceuninck one-two.
Philipsen started 2023 in a lot the identical means as he has began this season – a thirty third and a DNF at Opening Weekend – earlier than occurring to assert two wins at Tirreno after which hitting flying kind in March and April.
Whether or not he’ll comply with that rise as soon as once more is but to be seen, however a minimum of on Sunday he might really feel laborious executed by after being held up by a significant crash forward of the closing dash among the many chase group.
“In fact, I might have preferred to dash, however I am glad I did not fall,” he advised WielerFlits later. “A rider fell in entrance of me, he flew into the barrier and his bike was catapulted again into the peloton. I used to be utterly stationary and nearly managed to remain upright.
“Ultimately, it wasn’t about victory, as a result of the three in entrance have been actually excellent at the moment. In the meanwhile I’m not but ok to compete with the perfect, however that may solely enhance. I might have preferred to check my dash once more, however a dash for place 4 is all the time totally different from sprinting for victory.”
Group boss Christoph Roodhooft mentioned that he’s “not 100% glad, however not dissatisfied both”, noting the same outcomes final February earlier than the large wins got here later within the spring.
“Beginning right here will not be simple, we all know that for certain since final yr. However we can’t be dissatisfied with yesterday as we had three riders within the entrance echelon,” he mentioned.
“At this time, we have been simply not ok when these 16 drove away. However I noticed an honest race for 2 days. No more, but additionally not much less.
“It is actually higher than final yr. It is not good, however we now have confidence that issues will end up OK. In the meanwhile, I’m going house with a fairly optimistic feeling.”
