"That was a secret to no one" - Jasper Philipsen thrives in Friesland Elfstedenrace echelons to take yet another win

Jasper Philipsen's incredible season continues. The Belgian continues to perform and has taken his 15th win of the year today at the Friesland Elfstedenrace, not only surviving but thriving in the crosswinds and then having his usual sprint.

“Whether this was by the book? This race is not described in a book. It was a very difficult race. We rode almost full from start to finish, you can feel it in our legs," Philipsen said in a post-race interview. "We wanted to sprint with that group, because there were many of us in the team. You still have to have your legs at the end, but I think Lionel [Taminiaux] and Fabio [van den Bossche] did a fantastic job. I'm happy to finish it.”

Alpecin-Deceuninck and Jumbo-Visma both got three riders in the winning echelon and propelled it to victory, with both Philipsen and Olav Kooij present. That was the expected battle for win, hence late attacks did not succeed. Kooij was the first to launch his sprint but the Belgian had the upper hand, taking advantage of an early launch to then wrap up the day in comfort.

“It took a while before the split came, because a headwind was not conducive. From the sea things often went ashore, so it was important to be aware of that. That was a secret to no one," Philipsen says. That ended up being the key to the race, and Alpecin-Deceuninck performed perfectly in it's collective to have it's main sprinter take a 15th win in 2023. "Everyone knew the circumstances, but then you have to be there and for that you need a strong team.”