Jasper Philipsen's blisteringly fast ride to the fifth Vuelta a España stage win and first leader's jersey of his career may have looked as if he'd left the opposition for dust, but as the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider said, "It's never as easy as it looks."
Philipsen knows what he's talking about, given the highs and lows he's been through this season. The Belgian began with a fine Opening Weekend win on home soil in the Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, only for it to be followed by a dearth of victories throughout the Spring Classics. He clinched a notable stage triumph and leader's jersey on the opening day of the Tour de France, only for that career high point to almost immediately crash out of the race with a broken collarbone on stage 3.
