Jasper Philipsen aims to stay upright in Nokere Koerse ahead of Milan-San Remo

Jasper Philipsen hopes to play a leading role in Milan-San Remo on Saturday, but today we’ll first see the fast Belgian in action at Nokere Koerse. The Alpecin-Premier Tech rider aims to compete for victory in this semi-classic, but he’s also cautious.

Philipsen also participated in Nokere Koerse last year, but suffered a heavy crash that seriously reduced his chances for Milan-San Remo. Is he therefore extra careful this time?

"You naturally always build in caution, but you can’t control everything," he said before the start to WielerFlits. "We’re going to make it a fun race and try to stay upright. That’s the main message."

Good preparation 
Is Philipsen still affected by his crash in the final stage of Tirreno-Adriatico? "No, it’s not too bad. I didn’t leave much skin on the asphalt in Italy. It’s manageable. The goal is to win the race. How exactly we do that, we still need to figure out. We have a strong team and hope to be aggressive, but the opposition is obviously strong as well."

"We just have to see how we recovered from Tirreno, but the weather conditions are perfect," continues the powerful sprinter. "There’s a bit of wind. In short, it’s a very nice day for racing. Nokere Koerse is normally a great preparation for what’s coming next. It’s a nice race to aim for victory with the team."