Jasper Philipsen Confirms Status With Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne Triumph
Jasper Philipsen Confirms Status With Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne Triumph
Jasper Philipsen wins Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne in a sprint finish, edging Olav Kooij and Hugo Hofstetter for his first victory of the 2025 season.
Belgian sprint ace Jasper Philipsen won a bunch finish to claim the Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne classic on Sunday.
Philipsen was also third in Saturday's Omloop Het Nieuwsblad one-day race, making the Alpecin rider the form sprinter coming into the European season.
Opening Weekend Marks Start Of One-Day Classics
The two races that make up "Opening Weekend" both feature narrow roads, cobbled sections, and hills, marking the start of the one-day classics in Belgium, northern France, the Netherlands, and Italy.
Philipsen edged Dutch sprinter Olav Kooij of Visma and Frenchman Hugo Hofstetter of Israel PT for his first win of the 2025 season.
Philipsen's Sprinting Power Seals Victory
He won the Tour de France green jersey in 2023 and last year won Milan-San Remo, an ultra-long one-day 'Monument'.
Visma, who won last year with Wout van Aert from a breakaway, tried to set up Kooij over the final kilometer of the 197km run. Philipsen, led out by Kaden Groves, flew past at the finish.