"This was a textbook example of finishing it together” - Jasper Philipsen plays Van der Poel card to perfection to win In Flanders Fields
Cycling
Jasper Philipsen delivered on a long-standing target with victory at In Flanders Fields 2026, finishing off a chaotic race that had been turned on its head in the closing kilometres after Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert were brought back.
For much of the finale, the race appeared destined to be decided between those two rivals, who had forced clear on the Kemmelberg and built a narrow advantage into the final phase. But as the peloton reorganised behind and the gap collapsed inside the last 10 kilometres, the scenario shifted sharply back towards a sprint.
That change played directly into Alpecin-Premier Tech’s hands.
“It finally worked out. This has been a goal for a long time,” Philipsen said after the finish. “In previous editions, I never had the perfect feeling you need to win here, but today it was all or nothing. With Mathieu van der Poel up the road, we were in an ideal situation.”
Patience rewarded after chaotic finale
The closing kilometres were anything but straightforward. Van der Poel and Van Aert were reeled in only inside the final stretch, before a late attack from Alec Segaert briefly threatened to disrupt the sprint setup once again.
Behind, teams had been committing fully to the chase. Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe drove the pace for Jordi Meeus, while other sprint teams worked to keep their leaders in contention as the race swung back together.
Despite the repeated accelerations and the toll of earlier efforts, Philipsen remained in position when it mattered. “It definitely wasn’t easy to get the legs feeling fresh again,” he explained. “I could still feel the fatigue from E3, and we were working with a new sprint train, but it’s great to win like this.”
Alpecin execution delivers under pressure
When Segaert was caught and the sprint finally opened, Philipsen proved the fastest, beating Tobias Lund Andresen to the line to cap the fastest ever edition of the race.
The victory was as much about collective execution as individual speed. “This was a textbook example of finishing it together,” Philipsen said.
After a day defined by crosswinds, crashes and constant reshaping of the race, the outcome ultimately hinged on timing and control. With Van der Poel forcing the race open earlier and the team remaining composed as the situation evolved, Philipsen was left to complete the job. This time, everything aligned.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
claps 21visitors 2
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment