“I'm cooking a little inside, but that's cycling" - Jasper Philipsen left rueing late crash in first sprint of 2024 Tour de France

The dominant figure in the bunch sprints of the 2023 Tour de France, Jasper Philipsen was denied a chance at victory in the opening bunch sprint of the 2024 Tour, after hitting the tarmac hard in a late crash.

“The damage is not too bad considering the circumstances. I think I hit the ground at at least sixty per hour, but luckily it was a good road," said Philipsen in a post-stage interview with Het Nieuwsblad, thankfully not showing any after-effects of the crash. “We were able to shift quite well after Mathieu's puncture, but then riders in front of us collapsed and I had no place to avoid them. That is sad, especially because you miss the sprint and thus the chance to gain points for the green jersey.”

In the end, it was Biniam Girmay who powered to the win ahead of Fernando Gaviria and Arnaud De Lie in Torino, with Philipsen crossing the line in 118th position. As showcased on Netflix's Tour de France: Unchained documentary, Philipsen is a rider with an intense desire to win and being forced to roll in after the sprint has already unfolded, understandably irks the Belgian.

“We have not had a positive day, but fortunately there will still be opportunities. But of course I would have liked to see it differently. I'm happy that I can continue my Tour and that all in all it's not too bad, but I would have liked to participate,” concludes the Alpecin-Deceuninck sprinter, down getting too downhearted just yet. "I'm cooking a little inside, but that's cycling and it's part of it.”