After winning the yellow jersey at the Tour de France, Jasper Philipsen has now conquered the first red jersey of the Vuelta a España. On the eve of the race, the Belgian had said that opportunities for sprinters were few, so he would try to win immediately.

"These two victories make everything more beautiful, despite all the difficulties I've had this season," the emotional Belgian said after crossing the finish line, referring to the two jerseys he's won. The finale was chaotic, but I'm happy to have found victory right away and to wear this jersey."

Jasper Philipsen could smile again a month and a half after his crash at the Tour. In Novara, the Flemish rider repeated his Tour de France feat: winning the opening stage and taking the leader's jersey. "We executed the finale exactly as we had planned. Winning always fills you with good sensations, especially when there's an important reward like this red jersey. It's a nice gift."

The finale was chaotic, and the sprinters' teams struggled to find the right position in the group. Alpecin - Deceuninck was perfect, and Philipsen managed to win without much difficulty. "I must thank my team, just like in the first stage of the Tour. We could again do our finale as we wanted. The whole team was strong, but especially Jonas Rickaert and Edward Planckaert: in the last kilometer they did everything perfectly. I started my sprint only 175 meters from the finish. After my crash at the Tour, I was very disappointed to have to abandon the race, but now with this victory, we're back to smiling. This was a good target for us, but I knew I had to seize this opportunity immediately because there aren't many chances for a sprinter like me in this Vuelta. It will be difficult."

Philipsen reflected on all the difficulties he encountered this season, starting with the crash in spring that compromised his entire Classics season. "I've had many difficulties this season, but also beautiful victories: those at the Tour and this one, make everything more beautiful." In spring, Jasper Philipsen had fallen at Nokere Koerse, causing the entire first part of the season to be lost. Then at the Tour he won and wore the yellow jersey, but due to a crash, he had to abandon the Grande Boucle.

"You work hard because you have goals, but when injuries come, it's always difficult to get back up and find new targets to reach. I wasn't sure I could do the Vuelta, but looking at recent results, we understood we could do something good. I won the first stage and the red jersey, and this is certainly a great result."

In the video, you can listen to the brief interview with Philipsen conducted by Paolo Colombo