Jasper Philipsen, the reigning Tour de France green jersey winner, returns to the race this weekend as one half of a sprint dream team with Alpecin-Desseuninck teammate Mathieu van der Pol.

Last year, Philipsen won the flat third stage in Bayonne after two hilly stages in the Basque Country. This time, he has two hard opening days in Rimini and Bologna before a flat third stage in Turin.

Three years ago, Van der Pol won the second stage, Mule de Bretagne, to take the yellow jersey.

"It depends on what the race and the other teams want to do," the Dutchman said at a pre-race press conference at Palazzo Vecchio in central Florence.

"I haven't done any stage reconnaissance, but on paper it looks pretty hard. The yellow jersey will also be on show, so it's certainly not an easy stage.

"I think the first two stages are pretty hard. Last year there was a question mark over whether it was possible. It was too hard. This year - it always depends on the race - it's going to be a little bit harder again."

"I've raced in this region before and I know how difficult it is. I don't know what will happen, but I didn't set a big goal."

Philipsen, meanwhile, said the opening weekend was not good for either himself or Van der Pol before focusing on the sprint competition and winning the green jersey, and that the team "can start without any stress."

This time, even if the finale on the Champs-Elysées boulevard does not await at the end of the grueling three weeks, there are plenty of opportunities for the Belgians and their sprint rivals to battle for victory.

"Every year is heavy. The Tour is never easy. The stages are tough, but I think the chances will come," said Philipsen. The biggest chance we have as a team is maybe nine stages, including the gravel stages, but there are also stages that end in a breakaway. But there are also stages that end in a breakaway. If we can sprint six out of the nine stages, that would be great.

"It's a different mental game for the sprinters because we're not going to Paris this year. If you want to win on the green, you have to suffer until the end. Unfortunately in Paris there is no reward at the end, but it is still a good tool with good chances."

The battle for the green jersey could also be more intense than last year, with Philipsen saying that Mads Pedersen, who finished second last summer, could again be his closest rival for the sprinters' biggest prize.

"I think Mads will probably be one of my biggest rivals. Maybe he's not the best in pure sprints, but he's proven himself to be a strong bike rider who can score points on every stage."

"Definitely, if he gets serious from the first stage, I think it will be different from last year. If he gives 100%, he will be a great competitor."

While Philipsen has had about six chances in all 21 stages, van der Pol is limited in what he can accomplish during the race. Of course, he will again be working pure sprint stages for his teammates, but even the best Classics riders in the peloton like him have more limited chances to do so.

"For a rider like me, there are only a few chances. In the sprint stages, you have to go for the jaspers, and in the stages that suit me, I ride really hard, as I do in every Grand Tour."

"The easy stages aren't so easy anymore because the elevation is almost 3,000 meters. It's really hard to show good form in this parcours. 0]

Still, he intends to ride all the way to Nice, despite having another major goal in mind: the Paris Olympics, which will follow immediately after the Tour.

"I think the long preparation period for the Tour has been very relaxing," he said.

"It's been a long preparation period because I have the Olympics coming up after the Tour, so I've had a lot of time to prepare for that.

"I will ride the whole Tour, and if possible, I will try to win a stage. Then I will take part in the sprint stage in Jasper. It's kind of similar to last year, but I got a little bit sick when I had the chance. So I want to take my chances if I can."

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