Tour de France: Jasper Philipsen achieves the hat-trick in the sprint, the summary of the 7th stage

2023-07-07 17:28:02

The transition stage announced after two grueling days in the Pyrenees has taken place. After 170 kilometers of racing between Mont-de-Marsan and Bordeaux, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) won in the sprint, winning his third stage on this Tour de France, the fifth in his career. The Belgian confirms that he is the best sprinter in the world at the moment. Mark Cavendish (Astana-Qazaqstan) and Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) complete the podium. For their part, the favorites stayed warm in the peloton and let the sprinters explain themselves, before a more uneven stage on Saturday between Libourne and Limoges.

⏪A terrific finish in Bordeaux that sees @JasperPhilisen takes his 3rd win of the #TDF2023

⏪ An ultra-fast end to the race in Bordeaux which allows @JasperPhilisen to win his 3rd victory on the #TDF2023. pic.twitter.com/S2yXsA2Egu

— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 7, 2023

Given the profile of this seventh stage, particularly flat and conducive to a massive sprint, few riders had the ambition to slip into a morning breakaway. Only Simon Guglielmi took the lead, counting up to seven minutes in advance. But the mission was impossible for the Frenchman, who was perfectly controlled by the peloton.

80 kilometers from the finish, Nans Peters and Pierre Latour tried to restart the race by attacking from a distance. After joining the breakaway of the day, they scared the sprinters’ teammates for a long time, who had to work to catch them 3.5 kilometers from the line.

The sprint was inevitable, however. After two days of suffering in the high mountains, the sprinters did not want to let this golden opportunity pass, especially since the next one might not arrive until next Wednesday in Moulins. Again ideally led by Mathieu Van der Poel, who dropped him off 200 meters from the finish line, Jasper Philipsen finished the work done by his team to take his third stage victory in as many sprints. At the same time, he consolidates his green jersey, while Jonas Vingegaard retains the yellow jersey.