Jasper Philipsen reacts to critics: "Those messages certainly don't throw me off balance"

The green jersey wearer in this Tour de France, Jasper Philipsen, has indicated that he receives hate messages via Instagram. The Belgian sprinter already won four stages which, to other riders' supporters, can be a bit bitter pill to swallow.

"Those messages come from Eritrean quarters or from fans of Cavendish. I could scroll through it for hours, but it won't make you happier. So I'm not going to bother with it either. So those messages certainly don't throw me off balance," says his column at Het Belang van Limburg.

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Philipsen also caused some commotion in recent days after his statements about the upcoming World Cycling Championships in Glasgow. The Belgian said he does not want to pace behind his teammate Mathieu van der Poel at the World Championships. National coach Sven Vanthourenhout has already responded and announced that everyone who is selected will ride for the national team.

"There is a huge magnifying glass aimed at this stage race, you cannot avoid it. Not even on a rest day. Afterwards you see statements of yourself in a context of which you think: I didn't mean it that way at all. That is why I am making this clear: of course I am going to Glasgow as a Belgian, and I will fully commit myself to the national team," Philipsen now responded to the fuss.

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VIDEO: Jordi Meeus struck by fan as he attempted to launch sprint on stage 11, narrowly avoiding disaster