The rider from the Alpecin-Deceuninck formation won his third stage victory on the Tour, his first this year, on Monday in Bayonne.
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He tamed the first massive arrival of this Tour de France. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) won at the end of the first sprint of the 2023 edition, at the finish of the 3rd stage in Bayonne, Monday July 3. The Belgian rider proved to be the strongest to resist the waves and cross the line in the lead, during the first arrival on the French roads after the first two days spent in the Spanish Basque Country.
Amidst the tension and excitement of a first grouped finish, Jasper Philipsen kept a cool head to claim his first victory on the roads of the Tour de France this year. After a nervous sprint launch and wheels that rubbed at the front of the peloton, the 25-year-old rider was ideally launched by a luxury teammate, Mathieu van der Poel, before playing shoulders with Wout van Aert to take the lead. .
A movement which prompted the organizers to watch the images of the finish, in search of possible unsportsmanlike behavior, before declaring him definitively the winner of the stage. He is ahead of Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) and Caleb Ewan (Lotto Dstny), while Bryan Coquard (Cofidis), the first Frenchman, finishes in 10th place. With this success, Philipsen is back up to Victor Lafay in the points standings for the green jersey.
A quiet first day
Before this highly anticipated arrival, the day had been very quiet for the peloton, grouped together and launched at a slow pace. Escaped from the start, Neilson Powless (EF) and Laurent Pichon (Arkéa-Samsic) animated part of the day. The American took the lead in all the difficulties of the day to consolidate his polka dot jersey, while the Frenchman, finally left alone at the front after the last bump of the day, symbolically returned first to French territory. , in Hendaye, 60 kilometers from the line.
At the end of this calm day, no upheaval to report in the general classification. Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) retains the leader’s yellow jersey, ahead of his teammate Tadej Pogacar, and his twin brother Simon Yates (Jayco-Alula).