The Belgian Speedster Who Could Derail Pogačar's Monument Sweep

Jasper Philipsen — not his more-famous Lamborghini-driving teammate — could be the most dangerous rival to stop Tadej Pogačar in the two spring monuments the mega-star is desperately chasing.

The Alpecin-Premier Tech speedster — known as the “Vlam from Fam” — is no longer just one of the fastest finishers in the bunch.

He’s emerging as a spring classics tsunami and could be the wrench in the works not only for teammate Mathieu van der Poel, but also the sport’s reigning superstar as both chase monument history in 2026.

Already a winner at Milano-Sanremo and twice runner-up at Paris-Roubaix, Philipsen has proven he can survive the longest, hardest days of the spring and still deliver a lethal kick.

“We’ll follow the same plan. I want to be a classics rider in the first part of the season and focus my training around that,” he told Het Nieuwsblad this winter. “If you’re going to sacrifice your lifestyle and build your fitness for the spring, you need something to focus on. The classics are a big goal for me.”

“Jasper the Disaster” — a nickname he doesn’t like — has matured into one of the peloton’s most reliable finisseurs, and he is already putting circles around key races on his 2026 calendar.

If races like Sanremo or Roubaix come back together late, he arguably carries the fastest speed to the line.

That makes him the most dangerous threat to the MVDP and Pog hegemony in the two races that both desperately want to win.

‘Vlam from Ham’ could play Pog spoiler

If anyone else besides Van der Poel is capable of stopping Pogačar this spring, it could be Philipsen.

The Belgian’s top-end speed, combined with his ability to endure monument distance on terrain that suits him — note there is no Tour of Flanders on his target list — means Pogačar may have to distance not only Van der Poel, but Philipsen as well in his quest for one of cycling’s most elusive milestones.

Philipsen remains one of the most versatile riders in the peloton, especially when the parcours is flat and bumpy rather than steep and selective.

Much like his more famous Lamborghini-driving teammate, Philipsen tends to lose contact when the road gets steeper than a hilly Flemish driveway.

But on favorable terrain like Milano-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix, he has shown he can go deep at a six-hour monument distance and still be there when it counts.

And those just happen to be the two races that world No. 1 Pogačar is desperately chasing to complete the rare monument sweep.

Alpecin-Premier Tech has built its classics core around the tandem of Van der Poel and Philipsen, before shifting the “Vlam from Ham” — the “Flame from Ham,” a nod to his hometown — into full sprint mode at the Tour de France.

Things were rough for Philipsen in 2025, and he wants to make up for that with a hot spring campaign (see list below).

After a big San Remo win in 2024, he couldn’t defend his title last year after lining up still battered from a heavy crash at the 2025 Nokere Koerse just days earlier.

When Pogačar detonated the Cipressa, only Van der Poel and Filippo Ganna followed. Philipsen cracked and rolled home 163rd, a non-factor before the Poggio even began.

Big circle around Roubaix

Twice runner-up in the “Hell of the North,” both times behind Van der Poel, his 2025 bid also unraveled early.

The Belgian hit the deck in the first half after tangling wheels on a cobbled sector. He remounted and tried to claw back, only to puncture, change bikes, and watch the decisive move disappear up the road.

He salvaged 11th, but his chance was gone long before Van der Poel and Pogačar melted into the dust.

And then he crashed out of the Tour de France in stage 3 with a broken clavicle, but not before winning the opening stage and wearing the yellow jersey.

Turning 28 in March, Philipsen has a big circle around Paris-Roubaix in April.

“I’m very passionate about Paris-Roubaix and I even get emotional thinking about it,” Philipsen told Het Nieuwsblad over the winter. “ I started racing for races like Paris-Roubaix. They’re in my DNA and of the team too.”

Van der Poel also barrels into the spring classics chasing fresh historical markers, but Philipsen insists there is no internal rivalry.

“I think Mathieu and I motivate each other to do better,” he said. “The culture of the team is built around working for these races. We develop a plan, and we have a good group focused on it.”

With Mads Pedersen and Wout van Aert both nursing early-season injuries, do not be surprised if the rider capable of changing the script for the MVDP and Pog Show is none other than Philipsen.

Philipsen for spring 2026

Volta ao Algarve
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne
Nokere Koerse
Milano-Sanremo
Ronde Van Brugge
Gent-Wevelgem
Dwars door Vlaanderen
Scheldeprijs
Paris-Roubaix