“It's been a long time since I went that deep” - Jasper Philipsen empties the tank in frantic Belgium Tour finale to land pre-Tour de France blow

Jasper Philipsen leaves the Baloise Belgium Tour with the one result none of his sprint rivals managed this week: a stage win and the overall title in the same afternoon, taken after a final-day fight that pushed him deep into the red.

The Alpecin - Premier Tech sprinter arrived in Hoeilaart still chasing his first victory of the race, with Tim Merlier, Biniam Girmay and Olav Kooij already on the winners’ list. By the end of a frantic final stage, Philipsen had beaten the field to the line, overturned Alex Aranburu’s GC lead and secured the first stage-race victory of his career. “The heat was brutal,” Philipsen said after sealing overall victory. “With that rolling course on top of it, it was really hard going.”

Philipsen started the day just two seconds behind Aranburu, which made the Golden Kilometer impossible to ignore. Bonus seconds were available there, with more waiting at the finish, but contesting them also risked burning the legs he still needed for the final sprint. “That was crucial,” he said. “I knew it involved a risk, but I had to try. In the end I could only gain back one second and afterwards I was on the limit.”

That left Philipsen with a brutal equation. He had narrowed the gap, but still needed a top-three finish at the line to take the general classification. The stage refused to settle after the Golden Kilometer, with attacks continuing through the closing kilometres before the race came back together for the sprint.

“Then I tried to reset for the sprint, because I still had to finish at least in the top three to win the general classification,” he said. “Luckily, the others were also on their knees.”

Philipsen did more than survive. He won the stage, sealed the overall and claimed a stage race for the first time in his career. The setting made it sweeter. “And the Tour of my own country, no less,” Philipsen said.

The result landed at a useful point in Philipsen’s summer. The Belgian Championships are next on his calendar, followed by the Tour de France, where the sprint field could again bring him up against Merlier, Kooij, Girmay and the rest of the fast men sharpening their form before July. “Two important appointments, where I would also like to score,” Philipsen said.

The Baloise Belgium Tour gave Philipsen exactly the sort of week he needed. Merlier won in Knokke-Heist, Girmay struck on the opening stage, and Kooij beat both Merlier and Philipsen in Aarschot. Philipsen had to wait until the final day, but his response carried the biggest prize of the race. “I needed this week to build hardness and speed,” Philipsen said. “I have still grown a lot, because at the beginning I was not yet 100% sharp.”

That sharpness arrived just in time. Philipsen left Belgium with a stage win, an overall title and a timely reminder to his Tour de France sprint rivals before July.