BORDEAUX- For a few seconds, with Mark Cavendish in the lead less than 100 yards from the line, fans truly believed the Briton was making history.
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Invisible or almost, the rocket from the Isle of Man appeared on the far right before going up a dozen cyclists with a dazzling acceleration that suggested victory by more than a bike length.
Jasper Philipsen, however, managed to hop his wheel by pushing aside Biniam Girmay, while his opponent Cavendish, losing power, took a split second to sit back in his saddle while the Belgian rider still had petrol in the reservoir. Third, the Eritrean appeared embarrassed near the barrier, but the complaint was ruled inadmissible.
Biniam Girmay’s teammate Lilian Calmejane protested, as did Astana director Alexandre Vinokourov.
Luca Mozzato and Dylan Groenewegen follow in order, in fourth and fifth place.
A fatal blow
The last 50 meters were therefore devastating for the cyclist from Astana who will have to wait to become the biggest stage winner of the Tour by surpassing the great Eddy Merckx. Will he manage to reach his last goal before retirement?
Between Mont-de-Marsan and Bordeaux, Philipsen sees triple the fingers pointed at the photographers after this royal explanation in front of an incredible crowd at the Place des Quinconces. The latter being unbeatable so far, the qualifiers are starting to run out.
If it is obvious that the wearer of the green jersey is the fastest in the world today, doubt may settle in the mind of Cavendish after an almost perfect shot. The exceptional Alpecin-Deceuninck train is reminiscent of the one that once benefited Cavendish between 2008 and 2011 at Columbia and HTC-Highroad.
A dream start
“It’s a dream start to the Tour for me. Mark Cavendish was very strong. I would have liked to see him win, like everyone else, and I’m sure he will persevere. He is in great shape. But when I saw him attack, I knew we had to respond immediately,” replied Philipsen.
AFP
According to the profile displayed from here the Champs-Élysées, the Belgian should not beat the personal high of Cavendish, winner of six stages in 2009. Only Merckx, Maertens and Pélissier have done better with eight in another era.
Worrying sign for the future, Jonas Vingegaard said he felt better and better. Despite the crushing heat of more than 34°C, the Dane surely wanted to play in the minds of his opponents.
Psychological warfare
“The morale is good. If someone had told me that after seven stages, I would be in the yellow jersey 25 seconds ahead of Pogacar, I might not have believed you. And the steps that suit me best are still to come,” he said.
In this psychological war, Pogacar was quick to respond. “I think I have a good chance. The road is long to Paris and I have to keep the same legs.
Earlier in the day, Simon Guglielmi’s solitary breakaway and the attempt by counter-attackers Nans Peters and Pierre Latour were doomed despite a good effort.
Philipsen’s chances of success will be less this Saturday in Limoges. Categorized as hilly, this stage ends with a last slightly uphill kilometer, perhaps favoring a different scenario with a rider like Wout Van Aert or Caleb Ewan.
Ranking of the 7e stage
- Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) in 3 h 46 min 28 s
- Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan)
- Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty)
- Luca Mozzato (Arkéa Samsic)
- Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco AlUla)
General classification after the 7th stage
- Jonas Vingegaard (DEN/TJV) 26h10:44
- Tadej Pogacar (SLO/UAD) at 25″
- Jai Hindley (AUS/BOH) 1:34
- Simon Yates (GBR/JAY) 3:14
- Carlos Rodriguez (ESP/IGD) 3:30
32 – Michael Woods (CAN/IPT) 24:32
65 – Hugo Houle (CAN/IPT) 52:15
124 – Guillaume Boivin. 1:25:15
- Yellow jersey: Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma)
- Green jersey: Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
- Polka dot jersey: Neilson Pawless (EF)
- White jersey: Tadej Pogacar (UAE)
In short
-Jasper Philipsen is the first Belgian rider to win 3 times in the first 7 days of the Tour since legend Freddy Maertens in 1976. The last rider to win four times in the first week is Mario Cipollini in 1999.
-It’s not the record he’s aiming for, but Mark Cavendish reached the highest speed in the last kilometer, with a peak of 74.7 km/h.
-This seventh stage is the fastest of the 2023 Tour. The speed has greatly increased over the day to reach an average of 45 km/h over 169.9 km. The last 20 kilometers were covered at 58.8 km/h.
-The finish will be judged in Limoges on Saturday. In 2016, The newspaper was present at the same place for the victory of Marcel Kittel, with a gap of one tire which deprived Bryan Coquard, teammate of Antoine Duchesne at Direct Énergie at the time, of a first success on the Tour. Seven years later, Coquard, still eighth in Bordeaux, is still waiting for its first bouquet.
– Needless to say what the media received in Bordeaux, at the Place de la Bourse, on the facade of the quays of the Garonne. The corkscrew was not included.