"A sprinter should sprint, not always go on altitude training camps" - Belgian ex-pro critical of Jasper Philipsen's training methods
Cycling
Although far from a disaster, Jasper Philipsen's 9 victories in 2024 are a sharp decline from the 19 wins by the Belgian sprint star in 2023. Could there be a clear reason behind the Alpecin-Deceuninck star's drop off this year though?
As mentioned, this year has by no means been a bad one for the 26-year-old. A monument success at Milano-Sanremo, followed by 4th at the Tour of Flanders and 2nd at Paris-Roubaix for the second year running marked a very successful spring that also saw joy at Classic Brugge-De Panne. A stage of the Baloise Belgium Tour came in June and although he finished 2nd to Arnaud De Lie at the Belgian National Championships, Philipsen secured three stage victories at the Tour de France. Despite this though, there is still a lingering feeling that there could have been more from Philipsen in 2024, at least that is the view of former Paris-Roubaix winner, Johan Vansummeren.
According to the 43-year-old Belgian, Philipsen's training methods in 2024 could have been improved. Vansummeren even comes up with a notable example of the European Championships, where Philipsen's Belgian rival, Tim Merlier emerged victorious in a frantic bunch sprint finale.
"A sprinter should sprint, not always go on altitude training camps. I think Jasper lost the European Championship in Livigno," Vansummeren assesses, criticising Alpecin-Deceuninck and Philipsen's decision to head to altitude so close to one of his season's big goals. "The only flat roads you find there are between tunnels. It is inevitable that your absolute speed will be blunted, from all that cycling uphill."
Although Philipsen did finish 4th at the European Championships, the Belgian did manage to add one further victory to his palmares before the season was out, emerging on top at the Sparkassen Münsterland Giro on October the 3rd, his 9th win of the season and 51st of his career.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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