“I’ll never forget this. What a team effort" - Jasper Philipsen pays tribute to Van der Poel & Groves after securing Maillot Jaune at 2025 Tour de France

For the first time in his career, Jasper Philipsen has managed to work his way into the Yellow Jersey at the Tour de France. After a perfectly executed leadout from Alpecin-Deceuninck teammates Mathieu van der Poel and Kaden Groves, the Belgian powered to a dominant stage 1 win on Saturday afternoon, taking control of the Maillot Jaune.

“Incredible. Fantastic! It’s hard to put this into words. This was a major goal for us, and to be able to pull it off like this with the team — it’s just brilliant,” Philipsen beamed to Sporza in his post-stage interview afterwards. “In the final kilometre, we were able to take control, and on such an important day, we really managed to show our strength. We stayed right at the front all day, and every rider did their job perfectly.”

After a very dramatic opening day, only around 30-35 riders remained in the lead group to contest the sprint, with Philipsen's noted rivals Jonathan Milan and Tim Merlier not present. “You never knew where it might split,” Philipsen reflects. “But when it did, we were right up there at the front. That’s 100 per cent down to us.”

“I’ve never been so focused as I was today. It was a long day, and it took a lot of mental energy. But I’m glad it paid off,” he adds. “Opportunities like this don’t come around often. The fact that we’ve taken it as a team — I'll never forget that. We absolutely have to enjoy this moment.”

As already mentioned, the Alpecin-Deceuninck leadout in the finale was an absolute masterpiece by Van der Poel and Groves, with Philipsen quick to pay tribute to the quality of his teammates. “Yes, not many riders can say that. I imagine a lot of riders will be quite envious,” he laughs. “I’ll never forget this. What a team effort. We were switched on all day. This had the potential to be our day — and we made sure we were right up there.”