"Can beat him": How Bauhaus wants to crack Philipsen
DPA
· 12.07.2023
Despite the superiority of Jasper Philipsen, sprinter Phil Bauhaus believes in a stage win at the Tour de France.
"He's already the strongest. But I think you can beat him, but it's definitely not easy," the 29-year-old told the German Press Agency. "I haven't won a stage yet, but I still think I can do it." The next chance for a bunch sprint is in Moulins today.
Philips superiority
"When it works, it works for a sprinter," says Bauhaus about his Belgian rival. Philipsen has won three bunch sprints so far, only in the demanding final in Limoges did he not have enough strength against former world champion Mads Pedersen. Bauhaus sees his rider Mathieu van der Poel as the big trump card in the 25-year-old's success. "He is one of the top 5 racers in the world," said the Bocholt native. Classics specialist Van der Poel is fully committed to his team-mate in the Tour de France and has so far put his own ambitions on the back burner.
The hope of Phil Bauhaus
Bauhaus wants to take more risks to keep up with Philipsen, who is always sprinting at the limit of the rules. He is hoping for longer-lasting support from his helper Nikias Arndt. "If I can manage to get into the last 500 metres together with him, then we can do a bit together."
The next chances at the Tour de France 2023
With over 55,000 metres of climbing, this year's Tour is not exactly a feast for sprinters. The chances of the fast men are few and far between and three of them are already gone. After the Moulins stage, there will probably only be two opportunities for Bauhaus. On 20 July in Bourg-en-Bresse and in the grand Tour de France finale on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. There, after the tough days in the Alps, the sprinters who get over the mountains well and are therefore fresher will probably have the advantage.
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