Jasper Philipsen: 21 things you didn't know about him
The sprinter shares a hometown with one of Belgium's finest cycling talents
Date of birth | 02/03/1998 | Row 0 - Cell 2 |
Born | Mol, Belgium | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
Nationality | Belgian | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
Nickname | Jasper The Disaster | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
Height | 1.76m | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
Weight | 75kg | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
Resides | Ham, Belgium | Row 6 - Cell 2 |
Partner | Melanie Peetermans | Row 7 - Cell 2 |
Turned pro | 2018 | Row 8 - Cell 2 |
Team | Alpecin-Deceuninck | Row 9 - Cell 2 |
Bike | Canyon Aeroad | Row 10 - Cell 2 |
UCI race wins | 28 | Row 11 - Cell 2 |
@JasperPhilipsen | Row 12 - Cell 2 | |
@jasperphilipsen | Row 13 - Cell 2 |
Jasper Philipsen is one of the fastest sprinters on the circuit right now. Born in the cycling heartlands of Belgium, he’s often overshadowed by Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert in his home country, but his palmarès speaks for itself.
At just 25 years old, the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider has won stages at the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España, and rode to a stunning second place at Paris-Roubaix in 2023.
The Belgian will go to this year's Tour as a strong contender for the green jersey. Before the race gets underway, here are 21 things you probably didn’t know about Jasper Philipsen.
1. His first sport was football, which he played often as a child.
2. As a youngster, he had a strong winning mentality. "It was always the same when I was young and playing football. When a game didn’t go how I wanted it to be going, I would be crying on the pitch," he said.
3. He had a BMX accident when he was 12 years old. His subsequent injuries made it difficult to continue playing football, so he turned his focus to cycling.
4. He joined his first team, Balen BC, in 2010.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
5. Philipsen was the first person in his family to race bikes. "It was a learning process for all of us," he told Cyclingnews. "They would come and watch me race as a kid."
6. He was born in the same town as former world champion Tom Boonen - Mol, Belgium - which has a population of fewer than 40,000 inhabitants.
7. Boonen, understandably, was Philipsen's hero growing up, and he used to wear a replica of the Quick-Step rider's world champion jersey as a child. During the final years of Boonen's career, Philipsen would accompany him on training rides back home.
8. Like many Belgian riders, Philipsen has tried his hand at cyclo-cross. When he was 16, he raced the Zilvermeercross in his birthplace of Mol, and finished 31st - fourth from last.
9. In 2015, he won his first national title, triumphing in the individual time trial at the Belgian Junior National Championships. He successfully defended his title the following year.
10. Philipsen suffered exhaustion in the junior individual time trial at the 2016 World Championships in Doha, and as a result, did not start the road race three days later.
11. He turned pro in 2018 with Hagens Berman Axeon, the development team run by Axel Merckx, son of cycling great Eddy.
12. The Belgian has his own fan club, which has been supporting him with banners at races since 2016. The club now counts over 100 members.
13. He was not able to celebrate his first WorldTour victory, which came at the Tour Down Under in 2019. Initially second in the bunch sprint, Philipsen was declared the victor after Caleb Ewan was relegated.
14. At the 2023 Tour de France, the sprinter mistakenly celebrated when he crossed the line second on stage four, not knowing that Wout van Aert had broken away. "It will make for funny images in the end," he said afterwards.
15. His Alpecin-Deceuninck team call him Jasper 'The Disaster' Philipsen, due to his clumsiness.
16. His favourite one-day race is Paris-Roubaix, where he finished runner-up in 2023, beating Van Aert in a sprint.
17. He likes hip hop music, and warms up to Spotify's RapCaviar playlist.
18. He has won stages at the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España, but has never raced the Giro d'Italia.
19. Philipsen's girlfriend is 22 year-old Melanie Peetermans.
20. The race he has competed in the most is Scheldeprjs, the unofficial sprinter's World Championships, which he has won twice - in 2021 and 2023.
21. At the 2022 UAE Tour, the pace in the peloton was so calm that Philipsen stepped off his bike and jogged for a few meters through the desert.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Tom joined Cycling Weekly as a news and features writer in the summer of 2022, having previously contributed as a freelancer. He is the host of The TT Podcast, which covers both the men's and women's pelotons and has featured a number of prominent British riders.
An enthusiastic cyclist himself, Tom likes it most when the road goes uphill and actively seeks out double-figure gradients on his rides.
He's also fluent in French and Spanish and holds a master's degree in International Journalism.
-
£500k worth of bikes, clothing and accessories up for auction after Leeds shop closure
Carbon road bikes and time trial frames among goods under the hammer after Lifecycles enters liquidation
By James Shrubsall Published
-
Rapha lays off employees, closes North American office
Citing 'strategic realignment and current market dynamics' Rapha North America is reportedly closing its current Bentonville, Arkansas, and has laid off six out of the office's eight employees.
By Anne-Marije Rook Published
-
Is this the weirdest kit in pro cycling? Alpecin-Deceuninck go for double denim
Aping the Carrera team from the 80s and 90s, Alpecin are to race in fake denim
By Adam Becket Published
-
Jasper Philipsen on being the ‘fastest man in the world’, doing the green jersey double at the Tour de France and going one better at Paris-Roubaix
The Belgian sprinter reflects back on his hugely successful 2023 season and outlines his goals for the year ahead
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Tour de France green jersey winner Jasper Philipsen looking to end 'really great year' on a high in Turkey
25-year-old targeting further victories after opening day dominance in Antalya at Tour of Turkey
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'We don't give any presents' - Jasper Philipsen keeps Mark Cavendish waiting for Tour de France record
Belgian continues sprint dominance, and pays tribute to 'best of all time' Cavendish
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Mark Cavendish ‘devastated’ as 35th Tour de France stage win slips through his fingers
Manxman suffers mechanical in Bordeaux as Jasper Philipsen grabs third stage win of the race
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
AS IT HAPPENED: Tour de France stage 7: Mark Cavendish gets another record breaking chance
After two thrillers in the Pyrenees its another day for the sprinters as the race heads to Bordeaux
By James Shrubsall Last updated
-
Marcel Kittel: ‘I believe in Mark Cavendish'
The 14 time Tour de France stage winner backs Manxman to grab record breaking 35th stage win in the coming days
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Jasper Philipsen overcomes 'f***ed up situation' to win four Tour de France bunch sprints in a row
Belgian is fast proving himself as the fastest sprinter, with victory on two stages in a row at this year's race
By Adam Becket Published