"He has received several death threats" - Partner of Jasper Philipsen disgusted by social media abuse

Jasper Philipsen was one of the stars of the 2023 Tour de France, winning four stages and the Green Jersey for the points classification. This success did not come without controversy however and the Belgian's partner has revealed some of the horrific messages he has received on social media.

“The messages Jasper has received are really not nice. Many people underestimate the mental impact of this,” laments a disgusted Melanie Peetermans to Vive le Vélo following the conclusion of the 2023 Tour de France. “Through social media he has received several death threats, then I wonder why. You don't even know him."

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As mentioned, despite Philipsen's success there has been controversy. Most notably on the occasion when Philipsen physically tried to block a Pascal Eenkhoorn attack. However, there is no excuse for anyone to receive such abuse from so-called cycling fans.

“People make judgments about him based on a 10-second clip on television. They forget that the riders have to make quick decisions while sprinting," continues Peetermans. "In retrospect you see everything slowed down and you can say what had to be done differently. For the sprinter himself, however, it is not a video game.”

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“This really hurts me,” Peetermans concludes. “There was one stage he won, where right after the finish he said, 'Oh no, they wrote something about me again.' That you think about that when you win a stage in the Tour de France is very bad. I hope the storm passes soon and people realize what a good person Jasper is.”

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