"It's always nice when you receive congratulations from someone like Tom Boonen, he never won Milano-Sanremo after all" - Jasper Philipsen thanks for all the kind messages

Jasper Philipsen makes the return trip to Belgium alone after his great victory in Milano-Sanremo. He celebrated quietly last night - there are more goals to come. With a nice dinner with teammates, a glass of Aperol and a lot of scrolling through his messages.

It wasn't a wild party last night. Impossible, in the middle of the season. "We celebrated quite quietly," Philipsen told HLN at the airport, just before his return trip to Belgium. Completely alone, his teammates had already taken a flight to Lille earlier in the day. "We had a nice meal with the team last night, laughed quite a bit and drank some Aperol. (laughs) That's how we stuck to the Italian style, right."

Also an activity for Philipsen: reading the messages. "Because yes, my mailbox has exploded. It's always nice when so many people sympathize. It took me some time to respond to those messages. Perhaps the nicest message came from Tom Boonen. It's always nice when you receive congratulations from someone like that. He could never win Milano-Sanremo. (laughs) Although I will probably never win Paris-Roubaix four times."

Today Philipsen is not getting on his bike. The next assignment is on his program with Classic Brugge-De Panne on Wednesday. "That is short notice, but I have heard that the weather conditions will not be in favor of echelons. It will probably be a bunch sprint, I hope to show my legs there again. And I'm also looking forward to Ghent-Wevelgem and of course Paris-Roubaix. That's what I dream about."