Philipsen's European Championship loss made worse by Merlier's victory: "I wanted to win here"

Jasper Philipsen would have liked to be in Tim Merlier’s shoes today. He came for the victory, but ultimately didn’t even get a medal. In the battle for the European Championship, it was his compatriot who claimed the win, which, given the backstory of the Belgian selection, makes it even more bitter.

After the race, a clearly disappointed Philipsen discussed the outcome of his sprint in a flash interview. "I didn’t have the best legs or the best sprint. It is what it is, that’s cycling," he said briefly. The Belgian from Alpecin-Deceuninck ultimately finished fourth, behind winner Merlier, second-placed Olav Kooij, and the surprising Estonian Madis Mihkels, who overtook Philipsen at the last moment. Thus, the Belgian faced disappointment in his own region.

In the final kilometer, the sprinter was in a good position but couldn’t finish the work his team had set up. "We did very well with Jonas (Rickaert) and Jordi (Meeus) to bring me up front and sprint for the win. I just didn’t have the legs." It had earlier been announced that Merlier would not start in Belgium, but after a plea, he was included in the team: the Belgians appeared at the start in Hasselt with two team leaders.

Philipsen: "Only one could win"

The disappointment for Philipsen is understandable. "It’s normal; I just wanted to win here. There can only be one winner, and that was Merlier today. I didn’t have my best day, but that’s cycling." Along the way, others like Mathieu van der Poel, Mads Pedersen, and defending champion Christophe Laporte tried to prevent a bunch sprint. "There were strong riders at the front, but I knew it was still a long way to Hasselt. I knew we had some guys to bring them back. Of course, they were strong at the head of the race, but we never panicked.