For someone who has looked dominant at the 2023 Tour de France, taking three stages, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin Deceuninck) is incredibly self-effacing, refusing to take praise himself, instead passing it on to his team-mates.
This is his fourth Tour, the third he has raced consecutively, but it is only in the last 12 months that the Belgian has gone from promising fastman to the best sprinter in the world. Between stage 15 of the 2022 race and stage seven of the 2023 edition, Philipsen won every Tour bunch sprint that he contested.
However, there still does not seem to be an ego. After he won his first stage of this year’s race, stage three to Bayonne, he heaped praise onto Mathieu van der Poel, his final lead-out man: “When you see the other lead-out trains not passing us, you know it’s going fast. It’s not easy to stay on Mathieu’s wheel.”
A day later, in Nogaro, he was similarly effusive post-victory: “We were able to arrive at the front and sprint for victory, that’s only possible with a strong team behind you. It's a privilege to have Mathieu [van der Poel] as a last man, I don't think a lot of other guys can say that."
Denne historien er fra July 13, 2023-utgaven av Cycling Weekly.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra July 13, 2023-utgaven av Cycling Weekly.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
"We tore around the Sydney suburbs at 60kph in a terrifying, feral pack"
Fast, furious and furry tales from Australia
RIDDEN AND REVIEWED BROMPTON G LINE £2,499
A Brompton for running riot in both town and country
How do different gravel conditions impact your tyre choice?
There are a myriad of tyres on the market but selecting the right one is easier than you think
FEAST OF SWEDEN
Soon after landing in Gothenburg, I began to realise how little I knew about Sweden.
THE WORLD'S GREATEST GRAVEL EVENTS
Globe-trotting gravel racer Joe Laverick chooses his eight favourite events, from coastal Wales to the wilds of Kenya
THE CALL OF THE WILD
Tempted to embark on a long-distance bike adventure? Let former round-the-world record holder and author Julian Sayarer inspire you to strike out and hit the road
Saint Piran accused of using non-UCI legal bikes
Cornish team also alleged to owe former staff tens of thousands of pounds
JOE LAVERICK GETTING INTO THE FEED ZONE
I've ridden through hundreds of feed zones in my time racing a bike.
Lowden not ready to stop after retirement
Former Hour record holder eyes UK time trial scene
Pogačar makes history (again) at Lombardia
Slovenian makes it four in a row at the late-season Italian Monument