Van Aert criticizes Philipsen's lack of face-to-face apology: "Not how I would have handled it"

Wout van Aert and Jasper Philipsen had a minor confrontation a few days ago during the Tour de France, which resulted in the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider being disqualified and ultimately apologizing to his compatriot. However, he has not yet apologized face-to-face in the peloton, which is not something Van Aert particularly appreciates.

A few days ago, Van Aert complained about the sprinting style of the Alpecin-Deceuninck leader. The Visma | Lease a Bike rider even mentioned it being a "bad habit" of Philipsen's. "Jasper boxed me in. I think everyone could see that. It's a bad habit of his. It wasn’t super dangerous because I was able to brake in time. But I was sprinting alongside him. When you drive someone towards the barriers... I don’t really understand that."

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Philipsen and Van Aert have not yet spoken while in the peloton

Philipsen, who finished second to Dylan Groenewegen in that stage, was eventually disqualified and addressed Van Aert that evening. "I want to apologize to Wout, it was by no means my intention to hinder him or push him towards the barriers. Like every sprinter, I want to win, but certainly not at the cost of someone else's safety. As sprinters, we play 'highest stakes poker', but I would never intentionally endanger another rider. Touching each other is part of sprinting, but I always try to win in the fairest way possible."

Van Aert promptly responded with "apology accepted" on Instagram. "Wout was clearly frustrated, so sincere apologies seemed appropriate. It was good to see that he immediately accepted them," Philipsen stated in return.

A few days later, the two competed again for the victory, which went to Philipsen in Saint-Amand-Montrond. After the race, Van Aert was asked about any contact with the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider. "I read his apologies on Instagram, but I haven't received a personal apology. That's not how I would have handled it. I tried to talk to him in the peloton, but he wasn’t interested," the Visma | Lease a Bike rider told Het Nieuwsblad.