"My next aim is the world championships" - Jasper Philipsen on fire after Tour de France green jersey

Jasper Philipsen arrived in Paris in green and went up to the podium for the first time. It was the result of three weeks where he was the fastest and most consistent sprinter, bringing in huge success for Alpecin-Deceuninck in it's first Tour de France as a World Tour team.

"Standing on the podium in the green jersey is such an amazing feeling. I’m proud of how well we worked together towards it. I wanted to win today, but also to enjoy what I have achieved so far," he said in a post-race interview. The Belgian has won four sprints earlier in the race and has then secured the jersey, having such a grip on the sprints that the rest of the competition could no longer viably fight for the classification.

In Paris he hoped to wrap off the race the way he did last year, however it wasn't to be. He was very close to it, only with a photofinish deciding the outcome, however it was a compatriot and friend Jordi Meeus who celebrated big time in Paris with a breakthrough triumph. "Besides, I’m happy that it was Jordi [Meeus] who took the victory."

"This has been my best Tour de France, and these will for sure be some of the best memoires of my sporting career. My next aim is the world championships road race," he concludes. After finishing second at Paris-Roubaix and proving his form away from the sprints, the World Championships are a viable goal and he will be thinking of the rainbow jersey.