'It will make for funny images in the end': Jasper Philipsen able to laugh off ill-informed Tour de France celebration

Belgian sprinter said 'for four or five seconds I honestly thought I won'

Jasper Philipsen
(Image credit: Getty Images)

As Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) sailed across the line taking a sensational victory in stage four of the Tour de France, there was comedy to follow just behind him. 

Hot on the heels of Van Aert, the remnants of the peloton sprinted for what Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) thought was the stage victory. Beating the others to the line, Philipsen sat up, punched the air and celebrated, not realising that Van Aert had finished ahead of him. 

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Tom Thewlis

Tom joined Cycling Weekly in early 2022 and his news stories, rider interviews and features appear both online and in the magazine. 


He has reported from some of professional cycling's biggest events and races including the Tour de France and the recent Glasgow World Championships. He has also covered races elsewhere across the world and interviewed some of the biggest stars in the sport including Tom Pidcock, Wout van Aert, Primož Roglič and Lizzie Deignan. 


When not writing news scoops from the WorldTour, or covering stories from elsewhere in the domestic professional scene, he reports on goings on at bike shops up and down the UK, where he is based when not out on the road at races. He has also appeared on the Radio Cycling podcast.