“If I’d been alone, it would’ve been much harder” – Jasper Philipsen opens up on mental struggle after Tour crash and rediscovering joy alongside Van der Poel
Cycling
It’s been a year of highs and hard knocks for Jasper Philipsen. The Belgian sprinter, who began 2025 by winning Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and later pulled on both the yellow jersey at the Tour de France and the red jersey at the Vuelta a Espana, has revealed just how mentally draining the middle part of his season became — and how friendship ultimately helped him find his way back.
Speaking to Tutto Bici Web, the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider admitted that the collarbone fracture which ended his Tour de France after just three days left a lasting mark not only on his body, but on his motivation too.
“You spend months preparing for the Tour, you focus completely on it, and after three days it’s all over,” Philipsen recalled. “You end up in bed for the rest of July. Mentally, that’s very hard. You work so much to be there, and suddenly you have to refocus on something else when the Tour is still going on.”
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Finding motivation again
For a rider who thrives on rhythm and routine, the forced pause came at exactly the wrong time. Yet, as Philipsen explained, what lifted him wasn’t training or recovery programmes — it was company.
“For three weeks after the crash I couldn’t ride, then I started training again and went to Spain with Mathieu van der Poel, Gianni Vermeersch and the others,” he said. “We had a great time there, just enjoying ourselves with no stress or pressure. That helped me get through it and find my motivation again. If I’d been alone, it would’ve been much harder to recover.”
That reconnection paid off. By late summer, Philipsen had rediscovered both his form and his fire, taking three stage wins at the Vuelta to close a season he admits was “turbulent” yet still rewarding.
“It wasn’t my most successful year in terms of the number of wins,” he said, “but I’m proud that I wore both the yellow jersey at the Tour and the red jersey at the Vuelta in the same season. That’s something special.”
Freedom, responsibility and emotion
The 27-year-old also reflected on how Alpecin–Deceuninck’s culture of autonomy has helped him mature as an athlete. “We’re quite free to decide how we train, which is nice because it gives you mental space and allows time with family,” Philipsen explained. “But it also means taking responsibility — it’s up to you to prepare properly and build the right condition for the Classics.”
More than anything, Philipsen said the season reminded him that cycling is about emotion as much as performance. “Cycling is a sport of emotions — all sport is,” he said. “It’s passion and emotion that keep you going. Without that, you won’t reach your goals.”
Having come through the hardest spell of his professional career, Philipsen looks ahead to 2026 with renewed motivation — and the same adrenaline-chasing energy that has defined his rise. “When I stop racing, I’ll definitely look for something that gives me the same adrenaline,” he said with a laugh. “I’ll need it.”
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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- JV is really slighting himself with not doing the 1 dayers.. 🤷
leedorney02-11-2026 - Watch the interview on youtube. I don't speak French. I do speak English and Spanish and you can hear it in his voice. Years ago LeMond had real personal problems I imagine in no small part because of Armstrong. then Armstrong goes round "full blast" re: LeMond having drinking and drug problems. The same way Andreu was expelled from mainstream cycling so was LeMond. On the positive side the clips of the ride and chatting with old teammates and was good. To seemed like a fun day and experience and good reason brush up his French.atom02-11-2026
- and another no-news article around the ‚2 tokyo jogging rounds‘ headline, this time spiced with some days old ‚news‘ that the LA and japan vacation trips come during or after the tdf route release. i am getting more and more annoyed by this time-stealing no-news crap. but who am i to complain? nobody forces me to come back for more ‚news‘ day after day …Ketterechts02-11-2026
- It would likely be a very steep section of 4.1 km, not changing the average gradient considerably, with the climb remaining 10.1 km at 11.8%. It would reach 20% on the gravel. It would start 1.6 km in, and finish with 4.2 km left to climb (before the short final descent)
Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026 - Welcome to the off-season.
santiagobenites02-11-2026 - guillaume martin in this list is quite a surprise as a gc rider.Ketterechts02-11-2026
- Who cares what Bruyneel thinks. He and his best mate Lance, the biggest fraud in the history of sport, have no place commenting on anything but how to lie and cheat!whit2pet02-11-2026
- Eeesh!Lozza02-11-2026
- bravo! a rider likes jonas needs motivation and he needs to believe in being able to reach goals. he - like anybody else in the world - doesn't believe that he can win the tdf with pogi present. and what's it worth for when pogi is not there? second class victory only. he has checked all three grand tours, so what is left if not retire? the classics! go for it, jonas!Ketterechts02-11-2026
- i am sure that under the pretext of medical examination a lot worse has happened when they were under.abstractengineer02-11-2026
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