Philipsen hails Van der Poel after Milan-San Remo triumph / Photo: © AFP
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Philipsen hails Van der Poel after Milan-San Remo triumph
Milan-San Remo winner Jasper Philipsen hailed on Saturday his teammate Mathieu van der Poel as being the key to his photo-finish triumph in the first one-day Monument race of the season.
Philipsen pipped Michael Matthews to the line on the Italian Riviera after fellow Alpecin-Deceuninck rider and reigning world champion Van der Poel kept him in the race in the closing kilometres.
"Mathieu is the last person to think about himself... What he did is something I will always remember and I will always be thankful because it will probably be my only chance to win a monument," said Philipsen.
"I'm really grateful for what he did."
Asked whether he would have won without Van der Poel, a delighted Philipsen said: "Probably not".
Philipsen revealed that he had "begged" the Dutchman to slow down the descent from the final Poggio Di San Remo climb as the race reached its climax.
And that allowed Philipsen to become the first sprinter since Arnaud Demare in 2016 to win this razor-tight 'La Classicissima'.
"I was really afraid in the last kilometre," said Philipsen. "I've already messed up some sprints this year so really if I didn't take this one it would a missed opportunity for the rest of my life."
D.Schaer--VB
