Jasper Philipsen sees Omloop as first benchmark: "Hope to find my top form after"

For Jasper Philipsen, the 2026 cycling season officially began on Wednesday. The sprinter from Alpecin-Premier Tech burst out of the blocks at the Volta ao Algarve, where he is working on his form ahead of a busy classics spring. "The Opening Weekend is always an important benchmark and then everything happens very quickly, so I hope to find my peak form somewhere along the way," he told WielerFlits.

After a successful 2025, Philipsen and the Belgian team management haven’t made many changes in preparation for the new season. "I didn’t approach my winter much differently," Philipsen explains. "I spent a lot of time on training camps, tried to take good care of myself, trained hard, and also built in some mental rest. I think we’re ready for a busy season."

As a former Milan-San Remo winner with big ambitions for Paris-Roubaix, Philipsen faces a long spring, with the goal to be ready from Omloop Het Nieuwsblad onwards. When does he aim to hit his first peak form? "That’s hard to say. Hopefully next week at the Opening Weekend, because that’s always an important gauge. And then everything comes very quickly, so I hope to find my top form somewhere along the way."

'I often need some time to find my best form'
As mentioned, Philipsen has made a long preparation for the new season. "I’m starting here at a good level," he said before the opening stage in the Algarve. "But you always have to first see how you feel on a first race day. I just returned from a high-altitude training camp, and from experience, I know I often need some time to find my best form in racing. But that’s exactly why we’re here: to get that feeling and get into top shape."

"Last year I raced the UAE Tour, and this year we chose the Algarve. It’s a slightly different approach: a bit less traveling, but the course here is always up and down," he refers to the tough terrain of the Algarve. "The level in the peloton is also pretty high, so we’ll see if it’s a good preparation race for me."

"The starting field is strong, so we’ll immediately see where I stand. Let’s see if the winter’s work pays off, but I expect good condition this week and in the weeks to come. Hopefully, the results will follow," Philipsen concluded.

No fear of crashes
Among the top sprinters in the peloton, Philipsen is one of the last to start his season, while several rivals have already suffered bad luck. Tim Merlier has been struggling with a knee problem for weeks and is not racing yet, Mads Pedersen is sidelined with multiple fractures, and Jonathan Milan already crashed at the UAE Tour. Philipsen is not scared of the same happening to him. "It can happen to anyone," he says.

"The season has been underway for some riders for a while, and there have already been some injuries and crashes... That’s the risk of the sport, unfortunately. You wouldn’t wish it on anyone, but it’s disappointing to crash in one of the first races after a hard winter of training. You try to avoid it at all costs, but sometimes you just can’t control it."