"With Jasper it just falls in the right direction, with me it doesn't" - Dylan Groenewegen loses to Jasper Philipsen yet another time this season
Cycling
Dylan Groenewegen had to settle for second place behind Jasper Philipsen in the Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen. There was a photo finish, but the Belgian turned out to be slightly faster than the Dutchman from Jayco-AlUla.
Afterwards, disappointment seemed to dominate Groenewegen. "The fact that I was close is of little use to me. It was a nice, honest sprint. Jasper arrived at the finish just a little earlier, so he was unbeatable," he said. "The victory was possible, but it just turned out well for him. With Jasper it just falls in the right direction, with me it doesn't."
The sprinter also had to acknowledge his superiority in Philipsen a number of times in the Tour de France. "We have to see what we can do better, maybe I just didn't start at the perfect time. I was forced to do so a few times during the Tour, but on Sunday I had bad luck in Fourmies. As a sprinter you always want to win, but here it was certainly possible," said Groenewegen.
The Dutchman will compete in a number of races this autumn, but the European Championships in Drenthe are not among them. "The course is very tough, so I certainly understand national coach Koos Moerenhout. However, I still ride enough races, so I will certainly give my best," he concluded.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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📸 PHOTOS 📸 @SprintCycling A busy day of racing for our men’s team in 🇪🇸 & 🇧🇪 #KoolskampKoers #LaVuelta23
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