"I do feel targeted" - Jasper Philipsen fears relegation by Tour de France jury might ruin future sprints
Cycling
After a stunning performance at the 2023 Tour de France, winning four stages and taking home the Green Jersey, Jasper Philipsen has been unable to replicate that form at the 2024 edition as of yet.
Having been relegated from 2nd on the stage 6 bunch sprint after the race jury deemed Philipsen had dangerous diverted from his sprinting line, putting the safety of compatriot Wout van Aert at risk, the Alpecin-Deceuninck sprinter now fears he will continue to be targeted in the bunch sprints, ruining any hopes the Belgian might have of taking some success from the 2024 Tour de France.
“It was a serious pile-up of disappointments, you could say," Philipsen says in quotes collected by Wielerflits. "First of all, you are disappointed because you don't have a good first week and because everything seems to be going wrong. But then those two messages from the jury still had to come. I can tell you that I didn't stay positive the whole time. Especially because I was initially unaware of any wrongdoing.”
“At no point did I have the intention to endanger a colleague. That is why those decisions hit me so hard,” continues Philipsen, expressing his concerns for how this might start effecting his sprints in the stages still to come over the next two weeks in this Grand Tour. “After what happened on Thursday, I do feel targeted. Much worse things have happened in the past.”
"I know that I shouldn't tense up in the upcoming sprint opportunities, but that's easier said than done," the 26-year-old, six time Tour de France stage winner concludes glumly. "Up until now, I've sprinted purely on instinct. I'm afraid that something like that will become more difficult and that I'll have to be more aware of my movements during such a final sprint."
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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Jasper Philipsen was relegated from his 2nd place. Yes, he was faster than Wout imo and he closed the door very smoothly on him but I still think it was the right decision by the commisaires. 👍🏻 He plays too often with fire. 📽️ @Domestique___ #TDF2024
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