Junior world road race champion and junior European time trial champion, 17-year-old Albert Philipsen is already being chased by top WorldTour teams ahead of his jump to the pro ranks in 2025.
The Dane, who last month soloed to the rainbow jersey by 1:19 in Glasgow and earlier this week blitzed the TT course in Emmen to claim another major title, is wanted by the likes of Jumbo-Visma, Ineos Grenadiers, and UAE Team Emirates.
Teams including Lidl-Trek, Bahrain Victorious, and Alpecin-Deceuninck are also monitoring Philipsen, his agent Alex Carera told Ekstra Bladet.
Carera runs the A&J All Sports agency with his brother Jonny which represents major pro riders including Tadej Pogačar, Biniam Girmay, and Giulio Ciccone. Philipsen, who turned 17 earlier this month is also on the agency’s roster ahead of what will be his final season as a junior in 2024.
Philipsen has also been crowned as world junior mountain bike champion this year, as well as winning a title at European level, the Danish road title and the points jersey at the Course de la Paix. He can look forward to a list of teams queuing for his signature for 2025.
“The important thing for us is not how big the money is, but that the team is the right project for Albert,” Carera told Ekstra Bladet.
Philipsen currently races for the Danish Tscherning Cycling Academy and rounded off his season with Sunday’s UEC Road European Championships road race at the Col du VAM, where he finished in 17th place.
He looks set to become the next junior sensation to immediately switch to the world of pro racing, skipping the U23 ranks entirely. It’s an infrequently made move, but has happened with more regularity in recent years.
Remco Evenepoel did the same in 2019, winning the European time trial title and the Clásica San Sebastián during his first year as a pro, while Quinn Simmons in 2020 and newly crowned European time trial champion Josh Tarling have also taken the same fast-track path.