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Tour de France 2023: Jasper Philipsen takes stage 11 in sprint finish – as it happened

On an otherwise uneventful day at the Tour, Jasper Philipsen claimed his fourth stage victory of this year’s race in a bunch finish at Moulins

• Read Jeremy Whittle’s stage 11 report from Moulins
• 12 Jul 2023 Philipsen makes it four sprint wins out of four
• 12 Jul 2023 The top five on General Classification
• 12 Jul 2023 The top five on stage 11
• 12 Jul 2023 Jasper Philipsen wins again ...
• 12 Jul 2023 Jasper Philipsen wins stage 11 ...
• 12 Jul 2023 They're racing on stage 11 ...
• 12 Jul 2023 The roll-out has begun ...
• 12 Jul 2023 Who's wearing what jersey?
• 12 Jul 2023 Bilbao pays tribute to Mäder as Vingegaard retains yellow
• 12 Jul 2023 Tour de France stage 11: Clermont-Ferrand to Moulins (179.8km)

Philipsen makes it four sprint wins out of four

Stage 11 report: Jasper Philipsen took his fourth stage success in the 2023 Tour de France , winning in Moulins. The Belgian convincingly sprinted clear of closest rival Dylan Groenewegen in the final 100 metres. Jeremy Whittle reports …

The top five on General Classification

Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) 46hr 34min 44sec

Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates) +17sec

Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) +2min 40sec

Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) +4min 22sec

Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) +4min 34sec

The top five on stage 11

1. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 2. Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco–AlUla) 3. Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) 4. Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) 5. Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)

Jasper Philipsen wins again ...

The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider showed great patience coming from 10th or 11th place with 200 metres to go to get on the wheel of Dylan Groenewegen, then slingshot past the visibly furious Dutchman to win comfortably. He didn’t get a lead-out from Mathieu van der Poel today and it turns out it he didn’t need one.

Jasper Philipsen wins stage 11 ...

He’s done it again! Philipsen leaves it late to come off the wheel of Dylan Groenewegen and win his fourth stage of this Tour de France by at least a bike-length.

1km to go: A tightish right turn followed by a left and the riders the flamme rouge. Jasper Philipsen is seventh in the line of riders with Caleb Ewan in close order.

2km to go: The riders hit a massive bridge before negotiating a quarter-turn of roundabout. Lots of sprinters have lost their trains.

3km to go: Dylan Groenewegen’s Jayco–AlUla team have their Dutch rider well placed. Low on confidence, he desperately needs a stage win.

4km to go: Jumbo-Visma are towing the bunch along a tree-lined avenue trying to get a stage win for Wout van Aert.

6km to go: All the big players are coming to the fore near the front of the bunch as today’s race reaches its final stages. There are roundabouts coming up as the speed of the bunch ramps up.

7km to go: The rain is bucketing down again, which could cause problems, not least on the areas of the road that are painted.

10km to go: The riders will have to deal with roundabouts and assorted other street furniture on the streets of Moulins. The final wo kilometres are completely flat and there are a couple of turns – one left, one right – and one pinch point before the long, narrow finishing straight.

12km to go: Oss is finally caught and I’m sure nobody will be happier with that than him. Chapeau, Daniel. Hopefully he’ll get on the podium to collect today’s combativity prize (his race number encased in perspex) as a reward for his effort.

14km to go: Daniel Oss is still out there but the gap is down to 10 seconds. Caleb Ewan is visible near the front of the bunch, having psent most of this afternoon towards the rear.

21km to go: The rain seems to have abated and various teams have got themselves into position at the front of the peloton before the very serious business of the stage conclusion begins. The riders of Alexander Kristoff’s Uno-X team are lined up on the left side of the road.

27km to go: The rain is torrential but the suggestion from the Eurosport met office is that this is merely a shower and won’t last long.

28km to go: Today’s sacrificial lamb, Daniel Oss, has fewer than 30 kilometres to go as it starts hammering down with rain. The gap is 45 seconds.

35km to go: A reminder that today will be the last chance the sprinters have to contest a stage until stage 18 into Bourg-en-Bresse. Stage 19 and the final one into Paris are also extremely sprinter-friendly, for those of the fast-men who make it through the Alps.

36km to go: Somebody in the Jumbo-Visma team car gets on the horn to tell their riders that they’re pleased to see them at the front of the bunch, surrounding their leader. “Make sure you stay there now because it will be very nervous from now to the end of the race,” he says.

41km to go: Daniel Oss remains out in front with a lead hovering around the 25-second mark as various teams start getting their ducks in a row in the peloton. The stage will almost certainly be one of Jasper Philipsen, Dylan Groenewegen, Wout van Aert, Caleb Ewan or Fabio Jakobsen but every member of each of their teams will have their own jobs to do in order to deliver their man to the line.

44km to go: At the head of the race, Daniel Oss has been left on his own in front after Andrey Amador decided to return to the sanctuary of the peloton. Alpecin-Deceuninck take over at the front of the bunch, where Tim Declercq had put in a massive shift for Soudal-Quick Step.

52km to go: Daniel Oss (TotalEnergies) and Andrey Amador (EF Education-EasyPost), who have started the Tour de France 18 times between them, continue in front with their lead down to 19 seconds.

53km to go: In the breakaway, Arkea-Samsic rider Matis Louvel has had enough and sat up. He’s quickly swallowed up by the bunch.

55km to go: The gap is at 25 seconds and our three breakaway riders keep ploughing their lonely furrow, painfully aware of the futility of the exercise. Jumbo-Visma are at the front of the bunch with Jonas Vingegaard on third wheel.

63km to go: Daniel Oss (TotalEnergies), Matis Louvel (Arkea-Samsic) and Andrey Amador (EF Education-EasyPost) remain out in front with their lead at 36 seconds. Back in the bunch, Caleb Ewan is right at the back. The leaders are at the beginning of the final climb of the stage, the category four Côte de la Croix Blanche. Pogacar and Vingegaard move to the front of the bunch, just in case anyone tries anything.

68km to go: It’s spitting down with rain as Tim Declercq continues to lead the peloton along. “The stress level really increases a lot right now because of that,” says Eurosport commentator Jens Voigt. “Hopefully it dries out.” It’s at this point riders start battling to be at the front of the peloton.

69km to go: The gap is at 32 seconds.

73km to go: “I miss the guy on the back of the motorcycle with the hand written time gaps,” writes Paul Lippe from Santa Monica. I think he still exists, Paul, even if race radio has made his position somewhat redundant. On Sunday’s stage, Matteo Jorgenson got caught by Michael Woods on the final climb and the disconsolate American said his radio was on the blink so he had to rely on “motorcycle guy” for regular updates of bad news.

79km to go: The gap is down to 48 seconds, while the teams making the pace in the peloton keep chopping and changing. One imagines they’ll be happy enough to leave the three lads out in front although it might have been nice if they’d given them a 10-minute lead and at least a sporting chance of winning the stage.

85km to go: Daniel Oss (TotalEnergies), Matis Louvel (Arkea-Samsic) and Andrey Amador (EF Education-EasyPost) remain out in front but their advantage is just 55 seconds.

90km to go: “Commiserations on live blogging such a snore fest,” writes Toby in Germany, who has no need to commiserate because I have nothing better to do. “To think, only 24 hours ago you were decrying Esteban Chaves’ determination not to give you a moment’s peace! "The first 10 stages of this Tour have mostly been very exciting - the topsy-turvy drama of yesterday a great example. Credit to the teams, riders, and race organisers for that. Not much comfort for you but, in the context, perhaps it’s no wonder that the riders want to take it easy on these relatively straightforward, relatively flat stages? We saw the same thing on stage 4, I think.

“Just thinking back to Philipsen’s throat-cut gesture yesterday, and how it probably reflected the way all the sprinters felt. They’ll all be expecting their teammates to provide a more enjoyable time of it today, especially with another week of misery before the next bunch sprint finish.”

One from the vaults: A Frenchman and a Briton compare the Tour with Test cricket matches.

93km to go: The gap between our breakaway trio and the bunch has dipped below a minute.

• Tour de France 2023
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Jasper Philipsen secures 4th sprint win at Tour de France. Vingegaard keeps yellow jersey

Belgium’s Jasper Philipsen celebrates his fourth stage victory as he crosses the finish line ahead of Netherlands’ Dylan Groenewegen, just behind Philipsen, and Germany’s Phil Bauhaus, left, as he crosses the finish line to win the eleventh stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 180 kilometers (112 miles) with start in Clermont-Ferrand and finish in Moulins, France, Wednesday, July 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Belgium’s Jasper Philipsen celebrates after crossing the finish to win the eleventh stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 180 kilometers (112 miles) with start in Clermont-Ferrand and finish in Moulins, France, Wednesday, July 12, 2023 (Marco Bertorello/Pool Photo via AP)

The pack rides during the eleventh stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 180 kilometers (112 miles) with start in Clermont-Ferrand and finish in Moulins, France, Wednesday, July 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

Spectators wave the French flag, left, and the flag of the Clermont-Ferrand Rugby team during the eleventh stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 180 kilometers (112 miles) with start in Clermont-Ferrand and finish in Moulins, France, Wednesday, July 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

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MOULINS, France (AP) — Jasper Philipsen is in a class of his own when it comes to sprinting at the Tour de France. He is so strong that even when the teammate in charge of setting him up is not there, he still wins in the end.

The Belgian sprinter posted his fourth stage win at this year’s Tour de France on Wednesday, taking his career tally to six.

“It’s been an incredible Tour so far,” Philipsen said after outclassing the field. “I can’t realize how good it is all going, so I’m super proud and really happy with my shape. And also, to get through the final without problems is also a big challenge, and we managed to do it four times, so I’m super happy.”

There were no major changes in the general classification: Jonas Vingegaard kept his 17-second lead over two-time champion Tadej Pogacar. Jai Hindley remained in third place, 2 minutes, 40 seconds off the pace.

Philipsen, who rides for Alpecin–Deceuninck, had been perfectly guided by his leadout man Mathieu van der Poel in his three previous stage wins. Left on his own this time, he perfectly timed his move and once again proved strongest in the frenetic last kilometer of the 180-kilometer (112 miles) Stage 11 from Clermont-Ferrand to Moulins in central France.

Philipsen has lost just one of the five mass sprints that took place at this year’s Tour when Mad Pedersen won Stage 8 .

With van der Poel not taking part in Wednesday’s sprint, Philipsen navigated his way through traffic at an average speed of 65.6 kmh (40.8 mph) in the last kilometer to join Mark Cavendish as the only active rider with at least four stage wins in a single Tour edition. Cavendish crashed out of the race last week.

“I can also win without (van der Poel), but of course, he makes it more easy,” Philipsen said.

After Alexander Kristoff launched the sprint, Dylan Groenewegen countered with Philipsen on his wheel. The Belgian’s power was too much to handle for Groenewegen, who had to be content with a runner-up finish. Phil Bauhaus completed the stage podium.

“I had to find my wheel a little bit, and it’s also finding the space, and it’s hectic and dangerous for crashing, but I’m happy I could find a good wheel — Groenewegen — in the end, he opened up early, and I could go over,” Philipsen summed up.

Following a day of furious racing in hot weather that took a toll on the peloton, Andrey Amador moved to the front immediately after the start of the stage but quickly noticed there were not a lot of riders interested in jumping into a break.

Amador for a while rode only a few meters ahead of the bunch before Matis Louvel and Daniel Oss joined his effort as they broke away without facing resistance from the peloton.

With only three riders in the lead group, the breakaway was doomed to failure and the sprinters’ team did not react, well aware that they would catch the trio further down the road. The main bunch was happy to sit back for a while, riding at an easy pace on long stretches of flat roads bordered by sunflowers and fields.

But amid crosswinds that made the teams of contenders nervous about possible splits, the chase started quite early, with the three-man lead dropping to just 30 seconds with some 75 kilometers left.

Louvel was the first to sit up, before Amador gave up too. Oss kept fighting alone at the front a bit longer and managed to regain some time.

A heavy downpour with 30 kilometers left didn’t slow the peloton, which swallowed up Amador some 14 kilometers from the finish.

Thursday’s 169-kilometer (105 miles) Stage 12 from Roanne to Belleville-en-Beaujolais will take riders on a hilly route that could favor a breakaway. The battle for the yellow jersey is expected to resume on Friday with the ascent of the Grand Colombier, a mammoth climb concluding the stage.

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Mathieu van der poel, jasper philipsen poised for double trouble sprint repeat at tour de france, the most dangerous duo returns to the tour, with eyes on green and dominance in the sprints: 'it will be difficult to repeat everything we did last year.'.

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! >","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}'>Download the app .

Jasper Philipsen is hoping to repeat as sprint king for the 2024 Tour de France , and will count on a replay of near-perfect leadouts from superstar teammate Mathieu van der Poel .

Speaking to journalists ahead of the start of the Baloise Belgium Tour, the Alpecin-Deceuninck speedster is blowing out the cobwebs ahead of the Belgian national championships and the June 29 start of the Tour.

“It will be difficult to repeat everything we did last year,” Philipsen told IDL . “We’ve had the right preparation to make that possible again, so why not?”

Last year, with Van der Poel rolling out the red carpets in the bunch sprints, the 26-year-old Belgian hit his stride to win four stages and claim the green points jersey that made the pair the most lethal combination in last year’s Tour.

The lone blot was the finale on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, when Jordi Meeus (Bora-Hansgrohe) upset the apple cart to win the prestigious sprint in the City of Lights.

The duo carried their collaboration into the spring classics in dominating fashion , with Van der Poel leading out Philipsen to win Milan-San Remo , before repeating their 1-2 podium finish at Paris-Roubaix .

In fact, Wednesday’s time trial was Philipsen’s first race since the “Hell of the North”. In what’s indicative of today’s meticulous preparation even for the peloton’s fast men, Philipsen was camped out atop the Teide volcano and the team will regroup again at La Plagne before the Tour in form-sharpening altitude camps.

Philipsen will be able to count on the world’s most luxurious leadout again this summer after Van der Poel ditched any ambitions of racing mountain bike at the Paris Olympic Games , so that means MVDP is fully committed to racing the Tour.

“Mathieu’s schedule is also focused on the Tour this year, so I was very happy about that,” Philipsen said. “Seeing how successful it was last year, we can really use him again.”

This year with only seven days of racing, Van der Poel will be entering the Tour on full boil, and won’t be content with just leading out his teammate.

Decked out in the world champion’s jersey, Van der Poel will be targeting at least one stage win across the Tour .

As prolific a winner the Dutch rider is, he’s only won one Tour stage back in 2021, when he took an emotional victory and the yellow jersey in stage 2 to honor his grandfather, Raymond Poulidor.

Van der Poel hasn’t raced since Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and he is expected to pass on the Dutch championships, so he won’t race until Florence. MVDP will be looking for opportunities in hillier stage finales and breakaways when he’s not laying down near-perfect leadouts in the bunch sprints.

Last year, with Van der Poel leading him out, Philipsen made easy work in the bunch prints.

Can the speed demons repeat the magic?

Contract signed, Philipsen focused on the Tour de France

Philipsen will see renewed competition in the sprints from familiar faces like Mads Pedersen, Mark Cavendish, Dylan Groenewegen, Fabio Jakobsen, and others in what will be a very deep sprinter’s field .

The green jersey is also another goal for Philipsen, but a climb-heavy back half of the Tour could make it harder for all the sprinters to arrive to Nice for the finish stage that won’t be a sprint.

“That’s a nice goal to aim for,” he said. “But everything will have to fall into place from the beginning, and the last stages are tough, so you also have to be good enough for that.”

More details of the new paint-job on Mathieu van der Poel’s world champion bike that will be seen first time publicly at the Tour de France. Great job by M-Level Custom Lakkerij pic.twitter.com/UG14pYAel3 — Lukáš Ronald Lukács (@lucasaganronald) June 11, 2024

Alpecin-Deceuninck has yet to define its Tour 8, but riders such as Silvan Dillier, Robbe Ghys, and Jonas Rickaert are expected to also be part of the sprint train.

The final stage in Nice is a time trial this year, so some sprinters might pack it in early, especially with the Olympics just two weeks after the Tour ends.

“I haven’t thought about whether I will ride all the way to Nice if I’m not in green, so that will have to be decided at the moment itself,” he said. “I think some sprinters will choose not to finish, focusing instead on events like the Olympics.”

Philipsen is unsure if he will be selected to race the Olympic Games, but he is sure one thing: he’s confirmed his racing future.

With his contract up at the end of this season, there’s been conjecture that Philipsen might be tempted away from Alpecin-Deceuninck, especially with Van der Poel committed to a long-term deal.

The pair’s interests often overlap , but they’ve both shown that working together can deliver winning results for everyone.

Philipsen isn’t giving anything away just yet about his future.

“The decision has been made, and I hope to come with news soon,” he said.

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Jasper Philipsen wins drama-filled Stage 15 at 2022 Tour de France as Vingegaard retains lead despite crash

The Belgian Alpecin-Deceuninck rider sprinted to his maiden Tour de France stage victory on Sunday, with Jumbo-Visma riders Jonas Vingegaard and Steven Kruijswijk suffering crashes.

Jasper Philipsen won an action-packed Stage 15 at road cycling 's 2022 Tour de France that saw several riders, including race leader Jonas Vingegaard, involved in crashes on Sunday (17 July).

The Belgian Alpecin-Deceuninck rider was part of the pack that chased down and overtook breakaway rider Benjamin Thomas on the final straight.

It was a sprint right to the line, with 24-year-old Philipsen just edging ahead of Wout van Aert , with Mads Pedersen in third and Peter Sagan fourth.

"It is super-unbelievable. I know what it was like to lose so many times, it was incredible. I cannot believe it," Philipsen, who sealed his first Tour de France stage victory, said after.

"I knew Wout [Van Aert] was coming close, and I also knew the finishing line. I knew I had to make some positions and it was good I could pass Mads [Pedersen]. I am going to cry on television. It’s been a massive Tour for this team. We worked super-hard. It’s been a tough Tour we believe it was possible; I am so happy. I knew I had good legs. We just had to wait, and today was the day."

Jonas Vingegaard retained the yellow jersey despite a crash and after losing two important team-mates for the coming mountains: Primoz Roglic and Steven Kruijswijk.

Kruijswijk broke his collarbone in a crash at 135 km which also saw van Aert come off his bike, before Jumbo-Visma were involved in another accident 10 km later involving Vingegaard, who went down along with his team-mate Tiesj Benoot.

On Monday the riders take a well earned day off.

READ: Everything you need to know about this year's Tour de France.

READ: Jonas Vingegaard: From fisherman to Grand Tour contender

2022 Tour de France: Stage 15 results - Sunday 17 July

• Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 4:27:27
• Wout van Aert (Team Jumbo–Visma) +0''
• Mads Pedersen (Trek–Segafredo) +0''
• Peter Sagan (Team TotalEnergies) +0''
• Danny van Poppel (Bora–Hansgrohe) +0''

2022 Tour de France: General classification standings after Stage 15 on Sunday 17 July

• Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) 60:00:50
• Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) +2:22
• Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) +2:43
• Romain Bardet (Team DSM) +3:01
• Adam Yates (INEOS Grenadiers) +4:06

Schedule and stage winners: Day-by-day route of 2022 Tour de France

Fri 1 July: Stage 1 – Copenhagen-Copenhagen (time trial, 13.2 km) - Won by Yves Lampaert (Belgium), who also took the yellow jersey for overall lead of the race's general classification.

Sat 2 July: Stage 2 – Roskilde-Nyborg (202.5 km) - Won by Fabio Jakobsen (Netherlands) . Wout van Aert (Belgium) claimed overall race lead.

Sun 3 July: Stage 3 – Vejle-Sonderborg (182 km) - Won by Dylan Groenewegen (Netherlands). Wout van Aert (Belgium) retained overall race lead.

Mon 4 July: Transfer Day - from Denmark to France.

Tue 5 July: Stage 4 – Dunkerque-Calais (171.5 km) - Won by Wout van Aert (Belgium), who retained overall race lead.

Wed 6 July: Stage 5 – Lille Metropole-Arenburg Porte du Hainaut (157 km) - Won by Simon Clarke (Australia), Wout van Aert (Belgium) retained overall race lead.

Thu 7 July: Stage 6 – Binche-Longwy (220km) - Won by Tadej Pogaca r (Slovenia), who took the overall race lead.

Fri 8 July: Stage 7 – Tomblaine-La Super Planche de Belles Filles (176.5 km) - Won by Tadej Pogaca r (Slovenia), who increased his overall lead

Sat 9 July: Stage 8 – Dole-Lausanne (186.5km) - Won by Wout van Aert (Belgium), who increased his green jersey classification lead.

Sunday 10 July: Stage 9 – Aigle-Chatel les Portes du Soleil (193km) - Won by Bob Jungels (Luxembourg), who claimed his first Le Tour stage victory.

Monday 11 July: Rest Day

Tuesday 12 July: Stage 10 – Morzine Les Portes du Soleil-Megeve (148.5km) - Won by Magnus Cort (Denmark), Tadej Pogacar hangs on his overall lead.

Wednesday 13 July: Stage 11 – Albertville-Col du Granon Serre Chevalier (152km) - Won by Jonas Vingegaard , who claimed the yellow jersey.

Thursday 14 July: Stage 12 – Briancon-Alpe d’Huez (165.5km) - Won by Tom Pidcock , Jonas Vingegaard keeps overall lead.

Friday 15 July: Stage 13 – Le Bourg d’Oisans-Saint Etienne (193km) - Won by Mads Pedersen . Jonas Vingegaard keeps overall lead.

Saturday 16 July: Stage 14 – Saint Etienne-Mende (192.5km) - Won by Michael Matthews (Australia).

Sunday 17 July: Stage 15 – Rodez-Carcassonne (202.5km) -Won by Jasper Philipsen (Belgium).

Monday 18 July: Rest Day

Tuesday 19 July: Stage 16 – Carcassonne-Foix (178,5km)

Wednesday 20 July: Stage 17 – Saint-Gaudens-Peyragudes (130km)

Thursday 21 July: Stage 18 – Lourdes-Hautacam (143.5km)

Friday 22 July: Stage 19 – Castelnau-Magnoac – Cahors (188.5km)

Saturday 23 July: Stage 20 – Lacapelle-Marival - Rocamadour (time trial, 40.7km)

Sunday 24 July: Stage 21 – Paris La Defence Arena – Paris Champs Elysees (116km)

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Wout van Aert wins stage 4 to extend overall lead at Tour de France 2022 - Results

Tour de france 2022: preview, schedule and riders to watch, dylan groenewegen wins stage 3 with wout van aert extending his overall lead at tour de france 2022 - results, fabio jakobsen wins stage 2 as wout van aert takes overall lead at tour de france 2022 - results, yves lampaert stuns wout van aert to win stage 1 at tour de france 2022 - results.

Jasper Philipsen wins his 4th stage of Tour de France

MOULINS, France -- Jasper Philipsen cemented his status as this year's sprinting star when he claimed his fourth stage win in the Tour de France on Wednesday.

The Belgian cyclist was a cut above the rest in the 11th stage, a 180 km ride from Clermont-Ferrand, easily beating Dutch Dylan Groenewegen and German Phil Bauhaus to take his career tally of wins in the world's greatest race to six.

Although he did not benefit this time from the work of his top lead-out man Mathieu van der Poel, who struggled in the finale, Philipsen timed his effort to perfection to prevail by a bike length.

He has now won six of the past seven bunch sprints on the Tour, having only been denied this year by Dane Mads Pedersen in Limoges on Saturday.

The Alpecin Deceuninck rider became the first man to win four stages in the same Tour since Great Britain's Mark Cavendish in 2021.

Italian Daniel Oss was the last of a three-man breakaway group to be swallowed up by the peloton, 13.5 km from the finish line, making way for the sprinters' team in light rain.

Philipsen can now bid to become the first rider to win five stages in a single edition of the Tour since Germany's Marcel Kittel in 2017. Defending champion Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark retained the overall leader's yellow jersey.

He leads second-placed Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia by 17 seconds with Australian Jai Hindley in third place, 2 minutes and 40 seconds off the pace as there was no major change in the top positions of the general classification.

Thursday's 12th stage is a 169 km roller-coaster between Roanne and Belleville en Beaujolais.

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Jasper ‘disaster’ Philipsen rebuts Netflix nickname with controversial stage three win at Tour de France

Philipsen was awarded victory on stage three only after race commissaires checked his clash with fellow belgian wout van aert on the final bend, article bookmarked.

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This was one of those sleepy days at the Tour de France that ended with a jolt; a peaceful 184km woken in the final two by a tense and frantic bunch sprint. Jasper Philipsen crossed the line first, though his win was not without controversy as race commissaires studied the way he blocked off his fellow Belgian Wout van Aert on the final bend. The conclusion was that Philipsen raced fairly – and perhaps that you shouldn’t organise a sprint finish on a curved road.

Van Aert was left slapping his handlebars and cursing his luck. In San Sebastian he lost out to a tactical mishap by his team; here in Bayonne – as the Tour left Spain and arrived in France – he ran out of space between Philipsen’s elbow and a metal barrier running along the turn’s inside. Sprinters will risk almost anything for a Tour de France stage win, but burrowing through that gap at 75kph was a gamble too far, and Van Aert sat up.

“I know the right side is the shortest to the finish line,” Philipsen said as he defended his apparent veer towards the railings. “The margins are small in sprinting. We don’t want to be unfair, but I think it’s logical that you take the short side.”

For Philipsen it might just be the start of a special Tour. He was rather cruelly dubbed “Jasper the Disaster’’ by Netflix in the recent Tour de France: Unchained series (a nickname no one in the media seemed to be familiar with before the show), primarily for celebrating victory last year on a stage that he hadn’t won, having been beaten by a solo escapee – these things happen.

But the 25-year-old is a growing presence in the peloton. This was his third Tour de France stage win, his sixth at a grand tour, and there is the sense that this could be a memorable month. Netflix are here again for season two and editors will be hard-pushed to make Philipsen look like anything but a polished professional at the top of his discipline.

Are you the best sprinter in the world, he was asked. “We can say in Paris,” he replied.

His victory was in no small part down to his highly efficient Alpecin-Deceuninck leadout train. Jonas Rickaert and Mathieu van der Poel shielded their king sprinter through the winding finale as rivals jostled for position, and Van der Poel led the way before dropping Philipsen off with 250m to go. Being transported to the finish by the winner of Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix is going to be a powerful weapon.

“It’s not easy to stay in Mathieu’s wheel,” Philipsen said of his multi-talented teammate. “I knew it was fast. Just the build-up towards the sprint was very hard [but] it’s really hard to pass us. Sprinting is about positioning and timing so it will not always work out, but I’m really happy today that it did.”

German rider Phil Bauhaus of Bahrain Victorious and Australian Lotto-Dstny sprinter Caleb Ewan finished second and third, with Mark Cavendish coming home sixth. Cavendish grinned as he congratulated Philipsen – the Manxman’s mere presence in the final melee was a promising sign in his bid to win a record 35th stage in what is his last Tour de France.

For the general classification contenders like Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar, this was an opportunity to rest. The yellow jersey still belongs to Pogacar’s UAE Emirates teammate Adam Yates, who described it as a “recovery day”, which might not be what organisers had in mind. It was ridden relatively slowly, averaging around 40km/h, as riders conserved themselves for the high Pyrenees this week and the sizeable challenge of the Col du Tourmalet.

“Days like today you can have a big crash, anything can happen,” Yates said. “We’ve got two cards to play [in Pogacar and himself]. In the Pyrenees we’ll put our plans into action.”

First comes another sprint on Tuesday. There is no danger of a kink in the road at the finish of stage four, on the home straight of the Circuit Paul Armagnac motor racing track in Nogaro. Van Aert, Ewan and Cavendish will welcome another chance so soon after missing out in Bayonne. Then again, they have less than 24 hours to figure out exactly how to resist the Van der Poel-Philipsen double punch.

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'I am really sick of this': Tour de France sprinters despondent after Jasper Philipsen continues dominance

Sprinters all express disgruntlement but retain some hope

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The Tour de France peloton is getting a little bit fed up. Jasper Philipsen keeps winning bunch sprints and no-one seems to know how to stop him.

On stage 11 the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider won yet again to make it four wins this July and extend his Tour bunch sprint record on flat run-ins to six in six when the final two sprint stages of the 2022 editions are taken into account. Although Mads Pedersen beat him in Limoges on stage eight, the finish was uphill as opposed to pan-flat.

Can he be beaten? Jayco-AlUla’s Dylan Groenewegen was second in Moulins and as he came back to his team’s bus, he screamed angrily as he walked up the steps. A few minutes later, he told Dutch media that “I am really sick of this. I would rather finish 10th than second. Our patience is now being tested.”

Reverting to English, he added: “We have to keep trying. That’s all we can do. I think there are two or three more [potential sprint] stages and we will fight until Paris.”

In third place was Phil Bauhaus, the third time that the Bahrain-Victorious rider has finished on the podium in his debut Tour de France. “If you win four out of four bunch sprints, you have to say he’s the fastest,” the German said of Philipsen, stating that the only thing he needed to beat the Belgian was “more speed in the final.”

He continued: “I think everybody is missing a bit of speed to beat him. I have been on the podium three times, I was one of the fastest, but maybe I missed those few hundred watts that Jasper had.”

Philipsen is the first sprinter to win four stages of the Tour since Mark Cavendish two years ago, and veteran Alexander Kristoff of Uno-X cast doubt on whether any other fast man will better the 25-year-old. 

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“He won again. Yeah, it’s going to be difficult,” Kristoff said. “He’s the fastest so when he also has the best team you know it’s going to be tricky. 

“You never know what’s going to happen though: suddenly there’s a crash or something and you get a chance. We hope he gets tired, but he’s good on climbs so I don’t think so.”

At the start of the race it was assumed that Fabio Jakobsen of Soudal-QuickStep would be one of Philipsen’s principal rivals, but a stage four crashed has left the Dutchman battered and bruised.

He hinted at the end of stage 10 that he might be headed towards an early exit in this year’s Tour, and his leadout man Michael Mørkøv was evidently upset by Jakobsen’s failure to contest the finale in Moulins; Jakobsen finished 16th.

“It’s not frustrating that Philipsen wins - it’s frustrating that we didn’t contest for the sprint,” Mørkøv said. “Jasper has now won four out of four, which is nice for him, but I’m more concerned about ourselves. 

“I believe he can be beaten. He was beaten before. But as we see sometimes with a sprinter who is on a roll and has the confidence, he becomes even stronger.”

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A freelance sports journalist and podcaster, you'll mostly find Chris's byline attached to news scoops, profile interviews and feature writing across a variety of different publications. He has been writing regularly for Cycling Weekly since 2013.

Previously a ski, hiking and cycling guide in a number of places, but mostly in the Canadian Rockies and Spanish Pyrenees, he almost certainly holds the record for the most number of interviews conducted from snowy mountains.

He lives in Valencia, Spain.

London Dynamo's Richmond Park time trials have been cancelled after The Royal Parks stepped in

By Adam Becket Published 14 June 24

With added Tadej Pogačar and Mark Cavendish, this year's version is appointment viewing

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Jasper Philipsen, finally!

After eight top 3 in sprint stages of the Tour de France, Jasper Philipsen, 24, claimed his maiden victory in the race he discovered as the youngest rider in Brussels for the Grand Départ in 2019. It was another 1-2 for Belgian riders at Carcassonne as Wout van Aert crossed the line in second place for a reversed outcome compared to the sprint of the Champs-Elysées last year.

Philipsen is the youngest Belgian stage winner since Tom Boonen at Angers in 2004. Mads Pedersen rounded out the stage podium while Jonas Vingegaard retained the yellow jersey after losing two important team-mates for the coming mountains: Primoz Roglic and Steven Kruijswijk.

POLITT, HONORÉ AND INITIALLY VAN AERT IN THE LEAD

154 riders took the start of stage 15 at 13.19 under the scorching sun. 3 non-starters: Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma), Magnus Cort (EF Education-EasyPost) and Simon Clarke (Israel-Premier Tech). A leading trio was formed at km 5 with Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), Nils Politt (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Mikkel Honoré (Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl). At km 41, Van Aert was instructed by his team to sit up and wait for the peloton that had remained very active until BikeExchange-Jayco and later Alpecin-Deceuninck set a steady tempo with the aim of a bunch sprint finish for Dylan Groenewegen and Jasper Philipsen respectively. It was Politt doing all the work at the front Honoré’s team also had a bunch gallop in mind for Fabio Jakobsen one year after they won in Carcassonne with Mark Cavendish equalling Eddy Merckx’s record of stage victories at the Tour de France (34). But it was a very different story this time around for Quick Step’s lead out man Michael Morkov who got dropped from the peloton in the early kilometres of stage 15 and was left by himself minutes behind.

VINGEGAARD LOSES KRUIJSWIJK AND CRASHES ALSO At half way into the 202.5-km long race, the leading duo was 1’30’’ ahead of the peloton after having reached a maximum advantage of 3’ at Ambialet (km 64), on the beautiful shores of the Tarn river. As Honoré swapped turns with Politt in the second half of the stage, the time difference with the peloton went up and down, between one and two minutes as the sprinters’ teams weren’t eager to come across quickly. Steven Kruijswijk (Jumbo-Visma) crashed out at km 135. Another crash affected the same team ten kilometres further. This time, it was the Maillot Jaune himself, Jonas Vingegaard, who went down along with his team-mate Tiesj Benoot.

BENJAMIN THOMAS AT THE FRONT UNTIL 500 METRES TO GO Trek-Segafredo put the hammer down so Honoré and Politt were reeled in in the ascent to côte des Cammazes (km 154.6) where local rider Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis) and Alexis Gougeard (B&B Hotels-KTM) managed to escape. Some sprinters got dropped: Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Soudal), Fabio Jakobsen (Quick Step), Dylan Groenewegen (BikeExchange-Jayco), Peter Sagan (TotalEnergies)… Some of them got back on 25km before the end. Sprinters’ teams and Ineos Grenadier sped up behind the leading duo. Thomas got rid of Gougeard and forged on by himself 4.5km before the finish at Carcassonne. The French track specialist got overhauled by the peloton only 500 metres before the line. Mads Pedersen launched the sprint strongly after that. Jasper Philipsen managed to pass on the inside to the left while Van Aert on the right side missed out on a third stage win by very little.

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Jasper Philipsen is Still Under Fire Over His Line in the Sprint Finish of Stage 7

The Belgian once again chose a line some found questionable, arguing he forced Biniam Girmay to the barriers.

Much like in stage 3, when Jasper Philipsen’s (Alpecin-Deceuninck) finish line sprint was questioned because he strayed significantly from his line, cutting off Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), so too is there controversy over his win in stage 7. After review, it was ruled that Philipsen was not at fault in stage 3.

In stage 7, Philipsen once again moved across the road, this time just behind Mark Cavendish’s wheel. Philipsen’s line in stage 7 forced Biniam Girmay (Intermarché–Circus–Wanty) toward the barriers and impeded his sprint. Biniam hit the brakes to avoid a major collision.

He went on to say, “If Girmay doesn’t brake, he ends up in the fences. Does someone have to fall to be declassified?” Cavendish himself stated that Philipsen didn’t hinder his race, but acknowledged that Philipsen did move from left to right and understood that multiple teams would protest. Girmay stated that, “nothing happened.”

Intermarché–Circus–Wanty team boss, Jean-François Bourlart, said in an interview with Sporza , “Jasper wins for the third time but makes a mistake for the third time.”

Mark Renshaw, retired Australian WorldTour cyclist, who raced for 16 years and now consults for Astana, said on air during stage 8 that he felt Philipsen deviated too far from his line and impeded other sprinters. “My personal opinion is I think they should have at least reviewed the sprint, and I would even go as far as to say it was probably worth a relegation. I think [the UCI] is really struggling to have a consistent level of decisions. But we don’t really have a right to appeal the decision. Once they have a decision there’s not much we can do.”

Many involved are calling less for punishment against Philipsen and more for consistent ruling from the UCI, mainly to make sure that we’re not constantly seeing carnage in the finish line sprint.

Micah Ling is a freelance writer who lives in the mountains of Colorado. She splits her free time between mountain biking and trail running.

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As it happened: UAE Team Emirates continue to dominate Tour de Suisse on stage 6

Baloise belgium tour: tim merlier beats jasper philipsen to take stage 2 victory in uphill sprint.

Olav Kooij third in Knokke-Heist

Tim Merlier (Soudal-Quickstep) claimed his 11th win of the season and put his name higher on the list of the sport's fastest sprinters as he beat Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Olav Kooij (Visma-Leasea a Bike) to win the second stage of the Baloise Tour of Belgium in Knokke-Heist.

The slightly uphill drag to the line favoured the Belgian, who won three stages of the Giro d'Italia, the Scheldeprijs, Nokere Koerse, three stages in the UAE Tour and two in the AlUla Tour so far this year.

It was a tactical battle for the stage win, with a headwind and a rise to the line, and Merlier took advantage of Philipsen's reluctance to start the sprint.

"I felt it was the right moment," Merlier said. "We didn't have a lot of speed because of the headwind. I knew we had everything under control in the final kilometres, and I managed to get into a good position. I deliberately stayed in the wheels after the last turn."

Merlier said he wasn't on his best form after racing the Giro d'Italia and was surprised to win the stage.

"I didn't expect this. I don't think I'm in top form. I was a little afraid for my sprint, especially against the fresher riders here," Merlier said.

"I've done this stage quite a few times before, and I've never won a stage in the Tour of Belgium before, so it's nice to check this off the list."

Stage 1 winner Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X) managed to keep a narrow lead in the general classification after coming seventh on the stage and snatching one of the intermediate sprint bonuses.

"I was a little too tired to sprint but I still have one second lead," Wærenskjold said. "When I came into the finish it was a little hard so I didn't have the best legs. I was too far back before the sprint, and the other guys were much faster."

After the short opening time trial, the sprinters were highly motivated to contest stage 2 of the 2024 Tour of Belgium, an 184.2-kilometre stage from Merelbeke to Knokke-Heist. The mostly flat stage had some climbs and cobbles familiar to riders from Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Nokere Koerse, but these obstacles were largely limited to the first half of the stage.

It took almost an hour for the day's breakaway to be established, and when it was, the WorldTour teams kept the gap to an easy-to-close level.

Seven riders from lower-ranked teams made up the move with Ward Vanhoof (Flanders-Baloise), Davide Bais (Polti-Kometa), Kay De Bruyckere (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal), Lars Loohuis (Beat Cycling), Quentin Bezza (Philippe Wagner/Bazin), Gianni Marchand (Tarteletto Isorex) and Max Kroonen (Volkerwessels) getting a maximum of 1:45.

As the race turned into crosswinds, the gap to the breakaway plummeted, and the race was all back together with 75km to go. Dries De Bondt (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) won the sprint in Damme with 48km to go.

The peloton hit the closing circuits all together, with Alpecin-Deceuninck, Visma-Lease a Bike and Soudal-Quickstep fighting for control. Philipsen found himself with Olav Kooij on his wheel and delayed his jump, while Merlier took advantage of the delay to sprint away to the stage win.

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Laura Weislo has been with Cyclingnews since 2006 after making a switch from a career in science. As Managing Editor, she coordinates coverage for North American events and global news. As former elite-level road racer who dabbled in cyclo-cross and track, Laura has a passion for all three disciplines. When not working she likes to go camping and explore lesser traveled roads, paths and gravel tracks. Laura specialises in covering doping, anti-doping, UCI governance and performing data analysis.

Baloise Belgium Tour: Jasper Philipsen blasts to powerful stage 3 bunch sprint win

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Highlights as Jasper Philipsen sprints to victory on Stage 3 of Tour of Belgium

Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin–Deceuninck) sprinted to victory on Stage 3 of the Tour of Belgium.

Baloise Belgium Tour: Jasper Philipsen blasts to powerful stage 3 bunch sprint win

Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) was in full command on stage 3 of the Tour of Belgium, making up for his botched sprint on the previous day by sprinting to an all but uncontested victory in Scherpenheuvel-Zichem.

Philipsen's team did a textbook lead-out, dropping the Belgian on the front with 200 metres to go and no other rider could even come alongside.

Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Gerben Thijssen (Intermarché-Wanty) finished second and third on the stage a bike length behind, with stage 2 winner Tim Merlier (Soudal-Quickstep) in fourth.

Stage 1 winner and race leader Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility) used the 'golden kilometre' trio of time bonus sprints to ensure he would head into stage 4 in the leader's jersey.

"It is the second year in a row that I have won in Scherpenheuvel, but last year it was a little bit trickier," Philipsen said. "The local laps were quite long this time. You could attack, but you weren't actually going anywhere. Today it was a definite bunch sprint.

"Just like yesterday, we did very well with the team. I'm happy that I'm doing my timing a little bit better today and can finish it like this. It's an ideal opportunity to get back into a routine. We found each other in the last kilometre and were able to really take the lead. I'm happy with how the team is doing, and happy to be able to thank them with a win."

How it unfolded

Stage 3 from Turnhout to Scherpenheuvel-Zichem was another day for the sprinters and their teams kept the race under tight control for a second straight stage.

Lindsay De Vylder (Flanders-Baloise), Diego Sevilla (Polti-Kometa), Yorben Lauryssen (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal), Stijn Appel (Beat Cycling), Quentin Bezza (Philippe Wagner/Bazin), Stijn Daemen and Jago Willems (Volkerwessels) made the day's early breakaway. But as in the previous stage, they were never allowed to get more than two minutes on the peloton.

A massive crash blocked the entire road with 78km to go, splitting the peloton into two but that didn't slow the chase. As the gap came down below a minute on the final lap, Daemen lost contact but was replaced by Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale's Sander De Pestel who bridged across to make it seven again.

The peloton finally caught the escapees with 34km to go with Uno-X Mobility keen to deliver race leader Wærenskjold to the time bonus sprints in the 'golden kilometre' with 28km to go, where there are three sprints with 3, 2 and 1 seconds on the line. Wærenskjold won the first and third, but teammate Rasmus Tiller might not have let off enough on the second one.

Following the sprints, an attack came with Alec Segaert (Lotto Dstny) escaping with Robbe Ghys (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Alex Aranburu (Movistar). Soon Kasper Asgreen (Soudal-Quickstep) bridged across but Uno-X Mobility nailed the move back.

Another big crash with 19km to go took Fabio Jakobsen (Team dsm-Firmenich-PostNL) out of the picture and split the peloton. After 10km, groups started to rejoin what was left of the front bunch, led by Lidl-Trek.

Alpecin-Deceuninck fought their way to the front for Philipsen for another slightly uphill drag to the line. Having waited too long on stage 2, this time round Philipsen timed his sprint perfectly to take the stage for the second year in a row.

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