Finally ! After seven podium places in stages of the Tour de France this year and last year, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) crossed the line in the lead on the Grande Boucle, Sunday July 17, in Carcassonne. More powerful in the final sprint, he beat two men who had already won this summer, Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) and Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo). “It’s the biggest victory you can wish for as a sprintersmiled the 24-year-old Belgian on the finish line. I worked hard to get it, and I didn’t go far last year.” Despite a fall in the last hundred kilometers, Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) keeps his yellow jersey but he loses a luxury teammate with the abandonment of Steven Kruijswijk, through injury.
The stage was first animated by a breakaway composed of Nils Politt and Mikkel Honoré, a time accompanied by Wout van Aert, but who were caught 54 kilometers from the finish. It was at the top of the Cammazes coast, where the Trek-Segafredo decided to increase the tempo, that a more decisive blow came with Alexis Gougeard (B&B Hotels KTM) and Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis). Without ever having a big lead, the two men collaborated until they glimpsed victory a few kilometers from the finish.
It is the second city, in track racing, which came very close to winning. Blowing his fellow Norman from his wheel, the Tarnais then placed himself in an aerodynamic position in the last five kilometers and resisted well. But the closer the packing got, the more Benjamin Thomas turned around and saw a peloton returning at full speed. The former French time trial champion was finally caught 450 meters from the line, exhausted.
“I believed ithe reacted, smiling despite everything. I began to believe it seven kilometers from the finish when we regained some time. I thought we could give it a try. Alexis (Gougeard) jumped and it was harder. Two would have changed things.” And to conclude, having given everything: “I’m completely dead, I have stars in my eyes. It’s a maximum effort, I wasn’t thinking about anything anymore.”
For its part, the Jumbo-Visma had a difficult day on the roads of Aude. And it was not the scorching degrees that made the men in yellow wobble, but the falls. 65 kilometers from the finish, the first came in the peloton and Steven Kruijswijk, one of the last lieutenants in the yellow jersey Jonas Vingegaard, was thrown to the ground along with Wout van Aert.
The Dutchman stayed on the ground for a long time, holding his shoulder. He then had to give up and was taken away by the race ambulance. A few kilometers further, it was Tiesj Benoot and Jonas Vingegaard, the yellow jersey, who also fell (less seriously than their teammate). Conclusion, the Jumbo-Visma now find themselves at six men with the abandonment of Primoz Roglic earlier in the day. The cards seem reshuffled before the last week in the Pyrenees.
