A month and a half after his stage victory, followed by a day in the yellow jersey and then a broken collarbone and rib at the Tour, Jasper Philipsen is at the start of the Vuelta and is ready to take the leader's jersey today in Novara. Just like in Lille, the Alpecin-Deceuninck sprinter is targeting the opening stage and the red jersey, but it won't be easy because all sprinters will be looking to make their mark today.

"I still feel a bit of pain from the injuries, especially behind the rib when I have to take a deep breath," Philipsen said in Turin. "The muscles around the collarbone are still tense and stiff, but I won't use this as an excuse if I lose a sprint."

The Belgian doesn't have great ambitions for this Vuelta, but will still try to do his best and aim to win stages.

"My preparation for the Vuelta has been short and accelerated. I don't know how it will end, because recovery after an acceleration, both uphill and on flat terrain, is less smooth than usual. My legs are accumulating lactic acid more quickly. I'm improving and I feel definitely better compared to the Tour of Denmark. It was a pretty tough race and usually I improve quickly with the intensity of five race days, but I confess I was pessimistic and didn't think I'd be here. My physical condition and sensations were not great, but now I feel I'm getting better."

Before the start of the Renewi Tour, Philipsen and van der Poel talked for quite some time, trying to encourage each other, because both, for different reasons, were forced to abandon the Tour de France.

"Yes, we talked a lot. After the Tour, I struggled mentally. I don't want to dramatize too much, but in spring I had also worked hard for the Classics, which then went badly due to the crash in Nokere. Subsequently, I worked hard for the Tour and won the opening stage, which was fantastic, but that story also ended earlier than expected."

The first stage finishing in Novara will be an important opportunity for sprinters. Philipsen wants to win, but there will be several opponents, and the rider he fears most is Pedersen.

"Honestly, this first stage for sprinters was one of the reasons why I decided to participate in the Vuelta. It's a great opportunity, but I don't want to focus too much on it, because if it doesn't work out, I don't want to be on the bike for another twenty stages feeling defeated. There will be strong riders like Pedersen who is very strong, but he'll try to win a different stage, tackling long distances, but I won't do those types of stages and will concentrate only on pure sprints. I don't know how this Vuelta will go, but I want to live it with serenity and see what happens. I know for sure that I don't want to go home early like at the Tour."