Jumbo-Visma cool interest in Junior World Champion Albert Philipsen: “There are four teams left and they have one chance"

When the then 16-year-old Albert Philipsen burst onto the scene in Glasgow to take victory in the men's junior World Championship road race, talk understandably immediately turned to which World Tour team he would end up at.

According to the latest reports, Jumbo-Visma are not going to be that team. “The situation is clear,” says Philipsen's manager, Alex Carera in conversation with Ekstra Bladet. “There are four teams left and they have one chance to sign Albert Philipsen for the future. This concerns INEOS Grenadiers, Lidl-Trek, BORA-hansgrohe and UAE Team Emirates."

Read also

Rigoberto Urán, on leaders like Remco Evenepoel or Tadej Pogacar: "Respect has been lost because the leaders are 20-year-old children"

A lot remains uncertain for Philipsen although his potential in the support is not in question. According to Carera though, no one team is currently leading the race. “There has to be a long-term sponsor. We need certainty," he explains. "Secondly, Albert's coach, Barry Augustyn, has to come along. He is not just a coach, he is also important for the mental aspect. The third point is the role in the team and the fourth is the mountain bike team. Because he not only has to ride on the road, but also on the mountain bike.”

This is a long list of demands but given Philipsen's potential, it's not out of the question that a team would match the request. “For 2025, the idea is that he will ride for six months with a training team and then six months with the WorldTeam," Carera concludes. 

Read also

"You cannot lose kilos and still be so explosive that you beat Mathieu van der Poel" - Wout van Aert's problem with GC goals, according to Thijs Zonneveld