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‘A line has been drawn for me’ – Jasper Philipsen responds to claims Wout van Aert avoided making personal apology after Tour de France row

‘A line has been drawn for me’ – Jasper Philipsen responds to claims Wout van Aert avoided making personal apology after Tour de France row

One of the main themes of the 2024 Tour de France has been the drama between Belgian compatriots Wout van Aert and Jasper Philipsen. Unfortunately, despite being more than halfway through the Grand Tour, the duo continue to taunt each other in post- and pre-stage interviews.

It all started on stage 6. Philipsen had initially crossed the finish line in second place, but the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider was later relegated by the race jury after what they perceived as a dangerous move in the final sprint, in which he forced van Aert into the barriers. After the stage, van Aert lashed out at Philipsen. “I got closed up again by Jasper Philipsen. It’s a bad habit of his,” the 29-year-old fumed. “It wasn’t too dangerous, I could still reach the brakes. But I was at the same height and he really went into the barriers. He sensed me, it’s unprofessional to close the door.”


Although he was not happy with the decision of the Alpecin-Deceuninck race jury, Philipsen apologized on Instagram the next day. “Of course I was disappointed to be relegated after a very intense sprint yesterday. I would like to apologise to Wout van Aert. I wasn’t deliberately trying to box him in or force him into the barriers,” he explained. “Like every sprinter, I am very competitive and I want to win every sprint stage, but I don’t want to do it at the expense of another rider’s safety.”

Despite the apology made on social media, a face-to-face apology should only happen. “I read his apologies on Instagram, but I didn’t receive a personal apology. That’s not how I would have behaved,” Van Aert told Het Laatste Nieuws. “I tried to talk to him in the Peloton, but he wasn’t interested.”

Now, in his pre-stage 12 interview, Philipsen has explained the lack of a face-to-face air clearing between himself and van Aert. “There was no conversation and for me a line was drawn under that,” he tells HBVL. “It’s true that Wout spoke to me during the Saturday stage. But I was so focused – that stage was important for us – and things were going really fast in the peloton at that moment, so it didn’t lead to a conversation. Wout will probably be running around with more redundancy than me.”

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