For Jasper Philipsen, 2023 could hardly have gone any better. 19 victories, a green jersey at the Tour de France and part of an Alpecin-Deceuninck one-two at Paris-Roubaix, it's been a year from his wildest dreams.
With his late season success at the Tour of Turkey, Philipsen overtook Tadej Pogacar's tally of wins for the year and he's been letting his former teammate know about it too. "I teased him a bit, but I don't think it bothers him," Philipsen tells HLN. "He achieved almost all his big goals. He must not have really been concerned with the number of victories. For him, quality was more important."
It's not as if Philipsen hasn't had wins of high quality either though. Four stages of the Tour de France and a Green Jersey stand out. "This year I was lucky that Wout van Aert didn't go all the way, but with my sprinting and climbing legs I should have a good chance every year," Philipsen assesses of the points classification battle. "I think I can be a good competitor for Wout."
Perhaps the Belgian's favourite result however, wasn't even a win. At Paris-Roubaix, Philipsen was second behind teammate Mathieu van der Poel and that seems to have sparked a deep love of the race. "My podium finish in Paris-Roubaix created a connection. I now know that I can also compete for a win in races of that caliber," he explains before concluding with his main goals for 2024. "I definitely want to win the Belgian championship jersey and the European Championships are close by in Hasselt. I am also aiming for the Olympic road race in Paris, but the places will be expensive."
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