“I know what it’s like to be criticised and labelled the ‘bad guy’" - Jasper Philipsen shows support for Bryan Coquard in first comments since Tour de France abandon

As the first 2025 Tour de France reaches its first rest day, one of the biggest casualty of the first 10 stages has been Alpecin-Deceuninck sprint star Jasper Philipsen, who, after winning stage 1, was forced to abandon the race on stage 3 after a violent crash.

Speaking out on the incident for the first time, Philipsen has urged fans to stop their criticisms of Bryan Coquard, his Cofidis rival, who ultimately was the one who bumped the Belgian hard to the ground at the intermediate sprint on stage 3, leaving Philipsen with a broken collarbone and some broken ribs.

“It was just a racing incident,” Philipsen said in comments collected by Wieler Revue. “I know what it’s like to be criticised and labelled the ‘bad guy.’ In this case, Coquard was singled out, but there was really nothing he could’ve done differently.”

Coquard himself cut a very emotional figure in his interview after the stage, offering Philipsen a heartfelt apology for the Tour ending crash. Ironically, the pair were actually talking about the dangers of modern sprinting just moments before the incident occurred.

“I even told him we should avoid taking risks, and he replied that he was just following the wheels," Philipsen recalls. "I never say things like that before an intermediate sprint — crashes there are so rare. But then it happened. Almost like a self-fulfilling prophecy. Just incredibly unlucky.”

After the crash, the first teammate on the scene to support Philipsen was Gianni Vermeersch. “I remember asking him if it looked bad. He was in a bit of a panic, and within a few seconds, I realised myself that it was over. Then the pain really hit — both physical and emotional,” recalls Philipsen. “In the end, it only lasted three days for me... Winning the first stage definitely softens the blow — and no one can take the win or that yellow jersey away from me. But I had big ambitions and was in great shape. That’s the brutal side of this sport, but it’s part of the deal.”

Now, the recovery begins. “Given the circumstances, things are moving in the right direction. My wounds have healed, and that shows the body was in top condition — it bounces back faster. I haven’t been on the bike yet because of the collarbone fracture, but I no longer need painkillers and I’m regaining mobility each day,” he says of his current condition. “Early on, I had a lot of neck pain too. At the hospital, they discovered the collarbone break was more complicated than expected. My AC joint was dislocated, and the collarbone had shifted into my trapezius muscle, which extends up into the neck. It was worrying for a moment, but I never panicked.”

And so for the remainder of the Tour de France, Philipsen will be a keen TV viewer at home. “Lots of people have popped by to check in on me and take a look at the jersey. It’s still sitting in the living room. I haven’t found a place for it on the wall yet," he smiles in conclusion. "As for the rest of my suitcase? It’s still not unpacked. In some ways, the Tour feels like it’s still going.”