Jasper Philipsen aims to end Tirreno with a stage win: "Mainly important for morale"

Jasper Philipsen is still searching for his first win of 2026, but today—in the final stage of Tirreno-Adriatico—he might get a prime opportunity to erase that dreaded zero from the results board. Even if just to gain extra confidence for the upcoming major spring races.

The past stages have been about Philipsen saving his legs and finishing on time. Has that worked out? "It’s been a very tough week in the mountains and on the bike," he said before the finale on VTM. "I’m definitely going to feel my legs. A sprint on the last day is obviously different than on the first, but it helps that everyone is competing on equal terms."

Is Philipsen really craving that first win of the season? "It’s mainly important for morale to be able to contest the sprint and get a good result. That always has a positive impact on what’s still ahead."

Sprint train with Van der Poel?
Another key question: what will Philipsen’s sprint train look like? Will he be able to rely on Mathieu van der Poel’s lead-out skills this time? "We still have to see about that. Edward Planckaert will definitely be in the mix. As for Mathieu, we’ll have to wait and see."

"That depends on the potential risks in the finale and what’s still to come. He hasn’t been riding conservatively this past week either. It’s been a tough week for him. We’ll see, but of course I hope he will play his role. Mathieu is always an extra weapon, but with Edward and the other guys on the team, it should certainly work out."