At just 20 years old, Belgian Jasper Philipsen has already amassed an impressive palmares in the U23 ranks. But when Hagens Berman Axeon director Axel Merckx suggested he skip the U23 showcase at the Tour de l`Avenir later this month in favour of testing himself against the pros at the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah, he was hesitant. `I really had to persuade him to come here,` Merckx told Cyclingnews. `L`Avenir is near, but I told him that for his development and his future it would be good if he could come here and prove that he could beat the fastest sprinters with the pros. We know he`s the fastest one of the U23s, but he should try and beat the pros.` Philipsen acquiesced to his director`s wishes, and it paid dividends Friday in Salt Lake City when he beat stage 1 and 3 winner Travis McCabe (UnitedHealthcare) in an uphill sprint at the end of a difficult circuit race to take his first-ever pro win.ADVERTISEMENT It was obviously a special moment for Philipsen, and it couldn`t have come at a better time for his team. `This particularly feels pretty special to me because obviously with what happened with Adrien [Costa],` Merckx said, referring to the former Axeon U23 star who lost a leg late last month in a mountain climbing accident. `Adrien was asking me yesterday how the race went, and I wanted to tell him how we wanted to win for him just to give him a little bit of courage, and what Japser did today, I have goose bumps.`
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