“In such a sprint you have to keep your head cool and make the right decision" - Jasper Philipsen brushes past Tim Merlier to victory in De Panne

Jasper Philipsen continues to prove himself as the fastest sprinter in the peloton, adding a second successive Classic Brugge-De Panne victory on Wednesday afternoon.

In the final sprint for the line however, Philipsen came into contact with his compatriot, Tim Merlier which was a key talking point in the Alpecin-Deceuninck star's post-race interview. “I was able to make up positions and was in Merlier's wheel. That's almost the best wheel you can have. Van Poppel then took the lead and I wanted to pass on the left, but there I came into contact with Tim Merlier," Philipsen recaps. "That was a shame, but fortunately we were still able to do a good sprint.”

“I saw space on the left, but could not estimate what Van Poppel was going to do. Luckily I was able to keep my legs still in time before something happened. That's why I'm happy that we were able to do a nice sprint," Philipsen continues. “In such a sprint you have to keep your head cool and make the right decision. When you are fresh, things go better.”

Despite the controversy, this win continues a hot-streak for Philipsen, just days after arguably the biggest win of his career at Milano-Sanremo last weekend. “This is perhaps my best form,” laughs Philipsen. “Everything has to go well, but I'm happy that it worked out again today. It was good teamwork, because everyone was fresh in the final. Sometimes it is a lottery, but fortunately we succeeded together with the team.”

“I hope to achieve nice victories this spring, because there are only important competitions coming up. It is already a great success, so everything that comes with it is just icing on the cake,” Philipsen concludes. “On Saturday I had my best legs ever, but here you don't have to be 110% to win. You also need luck and good legs.”