"It is nice to see how we have changed history" - Jasper Philipsen happy to rid himself of 'Jasper Disaster' nickname

Jasper Philipsen has really taken a massive step over the last couple of years, developing into arguably the fastest sprinter in the peloton whilst also confirming his capabilities elsewhere by taking back to back 2nd places at Paris-Roubaix and even winning Milano-Sanremo in 2024.

In total, the Alpecin-Deceuninck sprinter secured himself nine victories this season, including the aforementioned monument win in Italy and three stages of the Tour de France. "I am very happy," Philipsen assesses of his campaign to Marca. "I am third in the UCI ranking behind Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel and I think that says it all. I would be happy if I can maintain the consistency of 2024 next season.

Given his success in recent years, Philipsen also made the understandable choice to stay put at Alpecin-Deceuninck, ending transfer speculation to extend his contract. "The team suits me very well. We are a family, we all know each other and we have the same mentality. That is why I decided to continue," he explains. "We are a family. We have the same objectives, the same mentality, and that is why I know that Alpecin is one of the best teams in the World Tour, as has been evident in recent seasons."

"It will be difficult to continue improving at the pace we have been doing in recent years. It will be difficult to maintain the same level, but we will try, there is no doubt about that," the Belgian continues. "I believe in the team's potential, in the performance of the staff, the coaches and so on. They know what to do, so we have to pay attention to what the other teams are doing and try to be better than them again."

Philipsen has also been able to put the controversies of the past and the infamous 'Jasper Disaster' nickname firmly in the background. "In the first season (of Netflix's Tour de France: Unchained ed.), you could see how I was looking for the opportunity to win and things happened that gave me the nickname 'Disaster'. I have always tried to do things well and be ambitious," he concludes. "Now, the victories have come and we have achieved it with the support of the family and the team. It is nice to see how we have changed history."