An indignant Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) has slated fellow Belgian racer Jasper Philipsen for a manoeuvre in the finale of stage 6 of the Tour de France that saw Van Aert blocked in and unable to sprint, and which later cost Philipsen a relegation.
Sixth in the finish, Van Aert later accused Philipsen of a ‘bad habit’ saying that he was once ‘again’ boxed in by his compatriot, a reference understood to refer to a bunch sprint in Bayonne in last year’s Tour where the two also crossed swords.
Van Aert also called for Philipsen’s relegation, something that subsequently in fact occurred, with the Alpecin-Deceuninck racer demoted from second to 107th, seriously impeding his options of fighting for the green jersey at least on this stage.
Philipsen’s team defended their rider, with team manager Christoph Roodhooft saying, "I didn't think it was a manoeuvre that 100% justifies the declassification. There is something to be said by both sides".
However, Van Aert was visibly upset after the finish, with Sporza reporting, ‘The steam almost came out of his ears".
“I was once again boxed in by Jasper Philipsen in the sprint, everyone saw that. That is a bad habit of his, “ Van Aert said.
"It wasn’t necessarily super dangerous, because I was just able to brake in time. But I sprinted up to his level, and I don't understand why he then swerved towards the barriers.
"That is not a professional way to 'close the door'. He must have sensed that I was next to him. But he did this last year in the Tour and now he is doing it again."
Speaking before the news of the commissaires verdict against Philipsen, Van Aert said he was glad to stay upright, but that he would be angry if Philipsen did not receive a penalty. He also said such manoeuvres were part of a worrying trend in racing.
"I'm especially glad that I stayed upright. But if there's no sanction, that would make me angry. They shouldn't throw him out of the Tour, but he should be declassified.
"Today you saw one crazy stunt after another in those last kilometers. If they don't punish that severely, everyone thinks that anything goes. It's an increasingly big problem."
A winner of a Tour de France TT back in 2021, as well as a stage 24 hours later on the Champs Elysées, Van Aert said he was very much looking forward to the time trial on Friday. Apart from being a good target itself, the 25 kilometres race against the clock would act as a key reference point for the upcoming Olympic Games TT - where he will be racing for Belgium - given his crash-blighted first half of the season.
As for bunch sprints, there will likely be another one in the Tour de France on Saturday.
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