Jasper Philipsen realises "2023 will be a key season for my future" as he plans to "bet everything on the Classics"

As always, a new season brings with it plenty of fresh hopes and dreams. For Alpecin-Deceuninck and Jasper Philipsen, the goal is clear. "Be well prepared and to bet everything on the spring Classics."

Winner on the iconic cobblestones of the Champs-Elysees in 2022, the 24-year-old Belgian continued to prove why he is regarded by many as the most consistent sprinter in the peloton today. Speaking to Het Nieuwsblad, Philipsen reveals how he plans to improve even further in the coming season.

"My goal is to be well prepared and to bet everything on the spring of the Classics and see what I'll be able to do," Philipsen reveals. "I don't know if it will be possible for me to win already at the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, but the hope is to have the same condition I had at the 2022 Tour this spring. In my head, I have the Milano-Sanremo, Dwars door Vlaanderen, Gent-Wevelgem, all races where fast riders can leave their mark."

The switch to the Classics could be viewed as a risk. As mentioned, Philipsen is viewed as one of the premiere sprinters around today, this is not something that guarantees success in the Classics however. Nevertheless, both Philipsen and Alpecin-Deceuninck have weighed up the pros and cons and hatched a plan. "Everything was decided in mutual agreement with the team - reveals the Belgian rider - If we see that things don't go as hoped, in the next few years I will compete again, as a designated sprinter, in the UAE Tour and at rides like that. For me, 2023 will be a key season for my future.”