'We've never really had a fight' - Van der Poel and Philipsen unite

Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen teamed up again at the Tour de France, with Van der Poel targeting the opening weekend in Barcelona as well as hillier stages, while Philipsen aimed for the sprint stages and the green points jersey. Their collaboration has proven successful in recent years with Alpecin-Premier Tech, where they became known as sprinting and Classics race partners.

"We've never really had a fight so far, so it's all good," Philipsen joked during the press conference in Barcelona on Thursday. He noted that both riders had clear stages to focus on, highlighting stage 5 in Pau as the first big sprint opportunity for himself, while Van der Poel's chances came earlier in the event. "We just try to aim as well as possible to have a successful Tour, both for ourselves and for our team," Philipsen added.

Last year, Philipsen won stage 1 in Lille, and Van der Poel took victory in stage 2. However, their progress was hindered when Philipsen crashed out on stage 3 and Van der Poel fell ill with pneumonia, forcing him to abandon the Tour. Reflecting on last year's unfortunate events, Van der Poel expressed hope for a better outcome this time, stating, "Hopefully we can do it again this year, but then keep it going until Paris."

Regarding his preparation, Van der Poel highlighted the challenges he's faced in previous Tours, saying, "I've had some good and bad Tours, hopefully this is a good one. We have a nice team here; we hope to go for it again." He emphasized the need for strong legs and a fondness for stages reminiscent of Classics.

Recently, Alpecin-Premier Tech trained for the Team Time Trial (TTT) on the motor racing circuit in Zolder, Belgium. Van der Poel noted he had put in extra hours on his bike, aiming to replicate a strong performance similar to his near victory against Tadej Pogačar at the Tour de Suisse time trial.

Van der Poel commented on the approach for the upcoming race, stating, "I don't think there's something special in the strategy; it's about getting to the finish as fast as possible to the last two climbs and the technical section. Then it will be up to me to launch there and go to the finish."

He acknowledged that without having a General Classification (GC) contender, the team dynamic might be more relaxed. Meanwhile, Philipsen indicated that he saw five or six possible sprint stages, including the final stage to Paris, despite the new Montmartre circuit. He expressed optimism about the potential for a sprint finish at Montmartre, noting the climb's distance from the finish. "I think the sprinters will always be motivated to ride to Paris," he said.

Philipsen concluded by noting that they will aim to maximize their chances throughout the Tour, despite the long and demanding final week.