"Mathieu and I motivate each other" – Jasper Philipsen on Van der Poel friendship, Roubaix ambition and a turbulent Tour de France

Jasper Philipsen has opened up on the dynamic that drives him forward, insisting that his close training relationship with Mathieu van der Poel is a major source of motivation as he sharpens his focus on the 2026 Classics, Paris-Roubaix in particular.

Speaking in conversation with Het Nieuwsblad, the Alpecin-Deceuninck sprinter reflected on a 2025 season defined by big wins, heavy crashes and a determined late-summer resurgence.

From off-season sessions in Spain to the emotional pull of Roubaix and the frustration of a Tour de France cut short, Philipsen offered a candid look at the highs and lows that shaped his year — and the mindset he will carry into the next.

Philipsen described how riding with Van der Poel continues to elevate him in winter preparation, crediting their shared competitiveness for keeping standards high. “In Spain is it easy to train a lot,” he told Het Nieuwsblad. “The weather is good, the company is good. I get very motivated from training together and having fun. Sometimes it becomes competitive. One of us starts riding half a wheel ahead, the other joins in and before you know it, the game is on and we are rotating turns.”

The Belgian also acknowledged how difficult it is to switch from Classics conditioning to sprint-specific work once spring is over. “As a sprinter you have to train either very easy or very hard,” he explained. “When you train black-and-white like that, you have to do more of your own thing. As a sprinter you have to guard much more carefully what you are doing. Whereas I actually enjoy the social aspect most of all.”

Philipsen did not hide the scale of his ambition for Paris-Roubaix, a race he has already finished second in twice — and one he considers central to his identity.

“It is a race I really live for, that I am passionate about, and even get emotional thinking about,” he said. “For races like Paris-Roubaix I started cycling. They match my DNA and the team’s.”

The preparation, he says, is built around having a clear purpose. “To get up and put on your training kit every morning, you need a perspective — otherwise it becomes difficult. For races like that, I do it.”

Philipsen admitted that the dream start to the Tour — winning stage one and taking yellow — made the sudden crash in stage three especially hard to process.

“I was in a lot of pain and full of painkillers, so I remember little of those first hours,” he recalled. “The next day I woke up watching the race on TV — a race where I still had many goals. You think: that is where I should be. That is very hard.”

Yet even after surgery and a narrow recovery window, Philipsen still managed to win the opening stage of the Vuelta and three stages in total. “You start thinking about goals and then you end up with that opening stage and the red jersey,” he said. “Again I had a very strong team around me.”

Philipsen is already shaping his approach to 2026, with his partnership with Van der Poel, his Roubaix target and a sharpened sprint focus all guiding his winter.

And whatever the setbacks, he remains confident in the foundations behind him. “We have a culture of building towards those races,” he said. “I think Mathieu and I motivate each other very strongly.”