Positively surprised Philipsen ‘f*cked up’ sprint—Blames Van Aert and a key missing quality

For Jasper Philipsen, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad seemed to unfold like a dream scenario. The Alpecin-Deceuninck sprinter looked sharp, saw that the race stayed together, and got his chance to sprint in Ninove. However, his third-place finish clearly didn’t sit well with him, though he did take some positives from his first classic of 2025.

"I’m really happy with how I felt—I didn’t expect to have legs like this," Philipsen said in the mixed zone, keeping things positive. "I’m happy with the feeling and with an aggressive team that raced differently than in previous years. That gives me confidence for what’s ahead, but a victory is missing," he added, undoubtedly also referring to his lack of wins so far this season, including in the UAE Tour.

A year ago, Philipsen started his season in the Opening Weekend but finished both Omloop and Kuurne in complete anonymity. His first win didn’t come until Tirreno-Adriatico in March, before he went on to take victories in Milan-San Remo and Classic Brugge-De Panne. So, despite the frustration, he’s not overly concerned, especially now that he was fully in the mix in Omloop.

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Philipsen frustrated by tactical choices

Jasper Philipsen believes there was a clear reason why he couldn’t get past winner Søren Wærenskjold. "I f*cked up the sprint a bit," he admitted. "It was a great opportunity, but I had to go early because I was waiting for Wout van Aert. Apparently, he didn’t have the legs to sprint, which meant I launched from too far out."

Wærenskjold had positioned himself better and started his sprint earlier, holding his lead convincingly. Paul Magnier of Soudal-Quick Step managed to squeeze through for second place. "I was fighting against Søren, but I think I lacked a bit of killer instinct. I need to get that back to start winning races again," Philipsen added.

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Alpecin-Deceuninck grabbed the race by the balls

Philipsen will get another shot in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne on Sunday, but he told NOS that he still considers Omloop a missed opportunity. "If you find yourself in a position like that, of course, you want to win. I just missed a little something in the sprint, and I wasn’t completely spent after the finish. I still can’t push myself to the absolute limit, which is disappointing. But I’m very positively surprised by how we rode as a team today. We were well-positioned and raced strongly. Fortunately, there are more chances ahead."

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