Milan-San Remo defending champion Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) crashed out of Nokere Koerse and left the race in an ambulance just three days before the first Monument of the season.
The 27-year-old Belgian was among the favorites at Nokere Koerse, a Belgian one-dayer, but he went down in a touch of wheels just after the pack went under the flamme rouge towards a finish that had been redesigned so as to reduce the danger of crashes after major falls in recent editions of the race.
Philipsen appeared to be in significant pain as he slowly got to his feet with the help of medical staff. His kit was ripped in multiple places on his right side and serious scrapes and bruises were also visible.
Jasper Philipsen crashed very hard just four days before Milano Sanremo at Nokere Koerse. He immediately went to ambulance. 😢 #DanilithNokereKoerse pic.twitter.com/aSskYXXkl4
— Lukáš Ronald Lukács (@lucasaganronald) March 19, 2025
Nils Eekhoff (Picnic-PostNL) went on to win the race, with Q36.5's Matteo Moschetti second and American Luke Lamperti (Soudal-Quick Step) third.
After the race, Alpecin sports director Preben Van Hecke provided a rundown of the injuries as they were known so far.
"There are quite a few bruises all over his body," Van Hecke said. "His right side is fairly battered, his fingers are also hit. Maybe his right hand should be stitched between the middle and ring fingers."
The team still needs to assess the extent of those injuries before making any pronouncements about his readiness for Milan-San Remo.
"It can go either way," Van Hecke said. "We'll have to wait the night."
Before the incident, at least, Philipsen had been among the favorites for La Classicissima alongside his Alpecin-Deceuninck teammate Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG).
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