Kaden Groves' Tour de France debut was an emotional day of intense racing culminating in the perfect result for his Alpecin-Deceuninck team.
"It's my first Tour de France, my first stage and what a win for the team!" Groves told Cyclingnews at the finish line after hugging Philipsen and celebrating their big win with their teammate Mathieu van der Poel.
The Australian sprinter was drafted into the Alpecin-Deceuninck Tour squad to add extra firepower and speed for the sprints and he played a huge role when Alpecin-Deceuninck packed five riders in the 40-strong late split sparked by Visma-Lease a Bike.
"It was a perfect day. There was a lot of pressure on our shoulders to deliver Jasper but we knew that he was one of the favourites for this stage," Groves said, high-fiving the Alpecin-Deceuninck car as directeur sportif Christoph Roodhooft drove past.
"Visma split it, we didn't expect that to happen but we had the numbers there and we could contribute to the move happening, then stay away.
"We spent a lot of energy but we also led out the sprint. I didn't feel super in the final 500 metres but Jasper was just too strong for everyone else."
Van der Poel joined Groves and Philipsen as they celebrated their big win beyond the finish line. Alpecin-Deceuninck are looking for a second sponsor to fund the team but have already hit the jackpot in July with the stage win and the first yellow jersey of the 2025 Tour.
"Our Tour is already a success, whatever happens now," Van der Poel said.
"I'm happy and proud to be part of this. I think a lot of riders thought the race wouldn't split anymore and that's exactly why it happened.
"Everyone was focused, but Visma-Lease a Bike still pulled it off. Luckily we were up front and we knew straight away what we had to do. We heard that a few fast guys weren't with us."
Van der Poel pointed out that the stage had felt as much like a Classic as it had done a stage race, and that that inherent nervousness played into the hands of a team as experienced as Alpecin at getting top results in top one-day events.
"We had an idea of how we wanted to do it, but this situation made it a little easier to execute. Luckily, we had the right guys with us and Jasper finished it off."
Van der Poel could get his chance to shine in his own as soon as stage 2 to Boulogne-sur-Mer on Sunday, on the rollercoaster final ten kilometres and the short but not steep ramp up to the finish line.
He finished in the same time as Philipsen but could take the yellow jersey as well if his teammate loses a few seconds. His biggest rival is likely to be Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty), who was second on stage 1, while Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and other GC riders could fight for the bonus seconds as well.
"It is now a bit easier to make choices because we already have this victory," Van der Poel pointed out. And after such a spectacular opening stage triumph, come what may for Alpecin-Deceuninck, the 2025 Tour is already a notable success.
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