Philipsen left with mixed feelings after first WorldTour victory

19 January 2019 08:19
UAE Team Emirates rider Jasper Philipsen's first WorldTour victory came in unusual circumstances following Caleb Ewan's (Lotto Soudal) demotion for an 'irregular sprint' on stage 5 of the Tour Down Under on Saturday. After initially being awarded the stage victory, Ewan was relegated by the race jury to the final place in the first group across the line after the Australian sprinter had appeared to headbutt Philipsen in the fight for position in the final kilometre. Philipsen was then handed the stage win, with Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Danny van Poppel (Jumbo-Visma) rounding out the podium in second and third, respectively. "The first thing that happened with Caleb was that I think we were both trying to be in a good position. I was in the wind and I just wanted to also get on the wheel so that I didn't lose energy for the sprint," Philipsen told reporters after the podium presentation.ADVERTISEMENT "I think he just hit me twice with his head, and then the jury has decided it was wrong. For me, it all happened so fast. It was hard to see if it was wrong or not. I was just happy to have taken second on the stage, so it's a bit of a strange feeling to win, but for sure I respect the decision of the jury." Helicopter footage of the final few hundred metres showed Ewan used his head to fight for position as both he and Philipsen jostled for Sagan's wheel. But while Ewan's directeur sportif, Mario Aerts, defended his sprinter's actions, the race jury's decision was definitive. UAE Team Emirates sports director Neil Stephens confirmed to Cyclingnews after the stage that no official complaint was brought by the team. You can read more at Cyclingnews.com.read full article

Source: Cycling News