Jasper Philipsen claimed his first stage victory at the 113th Tour de France – a moment of pure relief after five unsuccessful bunch sprints. The 28-year-old Belgian crossed the line first after 174.7 km, edging out a large group in a perfectly executed sprint, thanks to a textbook lead-out by former world champion Mathieu van der Poel. Switzerland’s Mauro Schmid (Team Jayco AlUla) took second, with Dutchman Olav Kooij (Decathlon-CMA CGM) finishing third.
“The first twelve days were brutal. I dedicate this win to the team—they never stopped believing in me,” Philipsen said after the finish. This marks Alpecin-Premier Tech’s second stage win of the race, following van der Poel’s victory before the first rest day.
German riders, chasing their first stage win since Nils Politt’s 2021 triumph in Nîmes, came up empty. Georg Zimmermann was the top finisher in 18th place, pacing his Lotto teammate Huub Artz to seventh in the finale. “I’m very satisfied—we set ourselves high goals,” Zimmermann commented.
In the general classification, Tadej Pogačar remains firmly in the lead, holding a 4:32 advantage over Remco Evenepoel. Florian Lipowitz, who crashed during the previous day’s individual time trial in Thonon-les-Bains and fractured his collarbone, watched the stage from the hospital. “He’s doing okay, but of course, he’s deeply disappointed,” said Red Bull team manager Ralph Denk.
Starting Thursday, the race enters the Alpine trilogy, featuring over 10,000 meters of climbing, with the first stage finishing uphill in Orcières-Merlette.
