Philipsen does not give Van der Poel green light (yet), but says, after stellar day: "I also hope I stay"

"I hope he stays with us!" Van der Poel exclaimed with a laugh, after he had impressively assisted his teammate in achieving victory. The world champion was referring to an interview with Philipsen prior to Milan-San Remo, in which Philipsen mentioned that he was unsure about staying with Alpecin-Deceuninck. Van der Poel said, "It's not for me to judge, but for me, he's in the right place here. However, that’s not all that matters. I just hope he stays. That's all I can say. He is more than a sprinter, I said that last year already. If you can finish second in Paris-Roubaix and then see how he rode in the Tour, then he once again proves that here."

Philipsen was, of course, confronted with Van der Poel's statement at the press conference. "I also hope that I stay, but I will not make that decision before or during the classics. I am currently focused on this period and on enjoying the moment. Only after the classics will I make a decision," he says, remaining calm. Nonetheless, Milan-San Remo was tangible proof of what Philipsen has with his current team. "We follow our plan here and never panic. The start of the season was not good, but there was no stress, and we believed that we were doing the right things. The team is often right about that. I had already lost some patience after the start of my season, but after the Tirreno, things changed, just like last year. It has all been worth the effort."

Fortunately, the discussion did not linger too long on his contract renewal. Philipsen mainly faced questions about how the heck he managed to win on Via Roma, after a brutally hard race. "I had good legs all day, and in the back of my mind, I knew that if it could ever happen, it would be today. I don’t think I’ll have legs like that again in the coming years. They might have been the best legs I've ever had. That's what I told my teammates after the Cipressa, that I hadn't even begun to feel my legs yet."

It was no coincidence that Van der Poel, after descending the Poggio, discarded his own chances and escorted Philipsen to the finish line in a prime position. "I was scared in the final kilometer. I didn’t want to mess it up. I was really in the moment and took the responsibility, I realized that. I had already botched some sprints this year, so if I hadn’t grabbed this one, it would have been a missed opportunity for the rest of my life. I wouldn’t have slept for a week."

Nonetheless, it was a close call, with Michael Matthews almost out-sprinting Philipsen. "Looking at my numbers, I sprinted like an amateur. But after 300 kilometers, that makes a huge difference," laughs the winner, who then sends out a heart-felt thank you to Matthews. "It was fair of him to leave a gap in the final corner. He could have clung to the barriers, and then I could have never won. It was kind of a gift from him, for which I must be grateful. He might regret his decision now, but that’s racing. I'm glad he made it a fair sprint."

"This proves that a sprinter can still win San Remo, which had been somewhat in question in recent years," he winks, aware that a hundred thousand things could have gone differently in the finale. And to think that he rode Nokere Koerse just three days earlier. "I was sick after the Tirreno-Adriatico and was riding with a cold today. Only the last two nights did I start to recover from all the traveling and short nights, and I felt relaxed again. So, it must also be partly the peak form that led to my win."

Philipsen already values the victory in La Primavera, though he hesitates to claim it is more meaningful than his four stage wins and green jersey in the 2023 Tour de France. "It's hard to compare. Milan-San Remo is one of the biggest races I can win, so I'm proud to have succeeded. The chance isn't big. My dream was to win a classic, and this is a Monument... I still have to realize what I've done, and you also need a bit of luck. Everything has to fall into place, but this victory is a gamechanger."