"Tadej Pogacar said something about me coming to UAE" - Jasper Philipsen admits he was almost swayed to leave Alpecin-Deceuninck by good friend

Arguably the top sprinter in the peloton today, the future of Jasper Philipsen has looked uncertain for a little while. With it seeming as if the Belgian will remain with the Alpecin-Deceuninck set up, he has now reflected on the transfer rumours.

"I am happy with the proposal that came, and I am happy that I could stay with the team," begins the nine time Tour de France stage winner, on the podcast Stamcafé Koers, insisting that despite intriguing interest from elsewhere, remaining at Alpecin-Deceuninck was always the most sensible choice for him going forwards in his career.

One such team with reported interest was UAE Team Emirates. Having raced for the team previously in 2019 and 2020, Philipsen was also tempted by his good friend and UAE Team Emirates leader, Tadej Pogacar. "Yes, Tadej once said something about me coming to UAE, but of course he also knows that UAE makes choices in that," he recalls. "It would be nice to ride with him in the team again, but I think that this was also just the best choice from a sporting point of view."

It's not as if Philipsen is short of superstar teammates at Alpecin-Deceuninck, with the current world champion Mathieu van der Poel having acted as a leadout man for the Belgian at the last two editions of the Tour de France. "I still have a lot of ambition for the Tour and there are few teams where you can go there with a number of men in service," Philipsen assesses. "How Mathieu can and wants to do that for me, is a huge privilege. We understand each other well, our relationship outside of cycling is also good. I could also call him a friend. When he fully accelerates, it is sometimes difficult to follow. In the first sprint in the Renewi Tour, he pulls the peloton completely into a ribbon. There are guys who already leave gaps. It is also not easy to follow. Some sprinters like that, others prefer to come from the wind. That varies enormously."