The king of the sprint is him: Jasper Philipsen confirmed his new status on Friday by tripling the bet in the Tour de France with a new show of force in Bordeaux.
How far away the “Jasper Disaster”, his nickname popularized by the Netflix series, and his tears on the Champs-Élysées in 2021 when he left the Tour empty-handed and emotionally devastated.
Already a winner in Bayonne and Nogaro, the 25-year-old Belgian already has three successes in seven stages this year, after beating British veteran Mark Cavendish and Eritrean Biniam Girmay along the banks of the Garonne.
“If you had told me that a week ago, I would have called you crazy. It’s a dream Tour, ”he reacted.
If we add to this his successes last year at the end of the Tour in Carcassonne and on the Champs-Élysées, he even won in the last five massive sprints disputed on the Grande Boucle.
Enough to put his man in an exercise as perilous as the massive sprint where it is not only a question of beating his rivals, but also of avoiding falls and clearing a path in the middle of a minefield.
Stop playing elbows.
In Bayonne, Fabio Jakobsen, one of his main competitors, had described his behavior as “dangerous and stupid”. In Nogaro, the curators reviewed the images before validating its success.
And on Friday, it was Biniam Girmay who crossed the line very upset, complaining of having been pushed back towards the barriers.
“I gained muscle”
But for Philipsen, it’s simply the price to pay to exist in that world. Being shy and nice doesn’t work too well against other “big thighs” and he knows it all the better because he has long lacked self-confidence, entertaining his teammates above all with his carelessness.
“The difference is enormous between the Jasper of today and the one who wept on the Champs-Élysées two years ago. I gained experience, muscle too, ”said the green jersey.
The contrast is in any case striking with the rider who had experienced “shame” on the Tour again last year when he had crossed the finish line in Calais with his arms raised, believing he had won, when Wout Van Aert was already almost installed on the podium.
“I have long lacked patience. I wanted success to come fast, but I wasn’t ready. Now yes, “said the second of the last Paris-Roubaix on Friday.
To the point of being the undisputed king of the sprint? “It’s hard to say, what is certain is that we have the best train in the peloton. And having Mathieu (van der Poel) as the last pitcher is a big advantage. Afterwards, obviously you need a quick guy to finish the job, ”he replied.
The missed opportunity of the “Cav”
By tripling the bet, Philipsen deprived Mark Cavendish of a historic success. Winner in Bordeaux in 2010 when the Tour last came to the Gironde city, the Briton aims to beat the record for stage victories in the Tour de France which he currently shares with Eddy Merckx (34).
Galvanized by his mission, the Isle of Man veteran, 38, tried his luck in the last 100 meters but had to sit down, stunned by the effort, before being swallowed up raw by Philipsen.
“This morning we saw images of his victory here in 2010. It seems so far away! But he’s still there, it’s unbelievable. He is the best sprinter in history,” Philipsen consoled him.
At the “Cav”, there are still several opportunities in this Tour to write his legend. The trouble is that Philipsen risks being on his way each time.
After two hotly contested stages in the Pyrenees, the Tour favorites had a particularly peaceful day.
Under the first strong heat, the peloton dawdled in the Bordeaux vineyards behind Simon Guglielmi who broke away, first alone, before receiving the reinforcement of two other Frenchmen Nans Peters and Pierre Latour.
The latter was the last to be swallowed up 3.5 km from the finish by the teams of sprinters, launched like racing cars with the wind at their backs.