Belgium’s Jasper Philipsen clinched a commanding sprint finish victory on stage 10 of the Tour de France, with Tadej Pogacar retaining the coveted yellow jersey.
Philipsen, supported by his Alpecin-Deceuninck teammate and world champion Mathieu van der Poel, comfortably outpaced Eritrea’s Biniam Girmay and Germany’s Pascal Ackermann, who secured second and third places respectively.
Slovenia’s Pogacar safely finished within the main peloton, unaffected by anticipated crosswinds during the uneventful 187.3km route from Orleans to Saint-Amand-Montrond.
Maintaining his lead, UAE-Team Emirates’ Pogacar holds a 33-second advantage over Remco Evenepoel from Soudal-Quick Step, with defending champion Jonas Vingegaard of Visma-Lease a Bike trailing by one minute and 15 seconds in the general classification.
Philipsen, known for his sprinting prowess, faced challenges earlier in the Tour, including a crash on stage three and a subsequent demotion on stage six due to a sprinting line deviation. However, aided by Van der Poel’s strategic support, Philipsen secured his stage win, narrowing the gap in the green jersey competition.
“We had some bad luck. I am really happy – it is a big relief. We can finally show our strength, with our lead-out train and did finally what we came for,” Philipsen commented.
“Mathieu is a really strong guy. When he can show his power and play his part, there aren’t many riders who can emulate him. Having the world champion as your lead-out guy is fantastic.”
Next on the Tour’s agenda is a 211km stage on Wednesday, navigating the undulating terrain of the Massif Central from Evaux-les-Bains to Le Lioran.
