"It's not realistic that we can hope for a bunch sprint" - Jasper Philipsen realistic on Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne chances
Cycling
After placing a disappointing 66th in his season opener at Saturday's Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Jasper Philipsen goes again this Sunday at Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne.
"It was good for me in the start but in the end I just didn't have the legs anymore," Philipsen reflects on his Omloop performance in a pre-Kuurne interview with CyclingPro. "Still need to have this race rhythm. The shape has grown and hopefully, with this shape I can compete for the win today."
Although one of the fastest sprinters in the peloton, Philipsen showed off his Classics capabilities last year, notably finishing second at Paris-Roubaix. "If I'm at my best shape I can compete yes, but maybe I need still a race like Tirreno-Adriatico or something to really get my best shape. But yeah, we worked hard in the winter and I'm confident that today already maybe we'll be good."
"It's not realistic that we can hope for a bunch sprint. It will be full gas racing like most of the Classics," Philipsen concludes.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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