Jasper Philipsen took his fourth stage of the 2023 Tour de France, winning stage 11 from Clermont Ferrand to Moulins, after sprinting clear of closest rival, Dylan Groenewegen in the final 100 metres.
The Belgian, already a winner in Bayonne, Nogaro and Bordeaux, mastered the fast finish with ease, despite the absence of steadfast lead-out man Matthieu Van der Poel, who was dropped by the bunch, due to illness.
“I can win without Matthieu, but of course, he makes it more easy,” Philipsen said. “I had to find my wheel [to follow] and it’s also finding the space. It’s hectic and dangerous, but I’m happy I could find a good wheel. Groenewegen opened up early, and I could go over [the top].”
The Tour’s defending champion, Jonas Vingegaard finished safely in the peloton and retains a 17 seconds lead over Tadej Pogacar.
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A stage earmarked by both the sprinters and the baroudeurs, or breakaway artists, stuck to the script, with a three-man move dominating the proceedings until the last of the trio, Daniel Oss, was finally swept up with 13km to race.
The speed increased as the riders sped over the Pont Regemortes, bridging the Allier river, despite the steady rain falling in the closing kilometres. But Philipsen was always in control and unleashed his power in the final 100 metres to secure a comfortable victory. He now leads the points classification by 150 points.
With the peloton moving steadily towards the Rhone, before crossing towards the Jura and Friday’s next summit finish, on the Grand Colombier, speculation continues on how high Yorkshire’s Tom Pidcock can finish in this year’s general classification.
“You can’t say he couldn’t podium,” Rod Ellingworth, Ineos Grenadiers deputy principal said. “I think it’s in reach. He’s in that ballpark.”
Pidcock is eighth overall, almost five and a half minutes behind race leader Vingegaard. “He wouldn’t want to lose any more time to the group below the leading two,” Ellingworth said, “but I think [a top-three finish] is possible. I definitely think top five is very realistic.”
“He’s got that ability to raise his game on the day,” Ellingworth said of Pidcock. “You could see that when he won Strade Bianche. All the guys I know who have that ability, who have won Olympic and World titles, they don’t crumble.”
Meanwhile the uncertainty over Mark Cavendish’s future continues, fuelled by the suggestion from his Astana Qazaqstan team that he postpone his planned retirement until the end of 2024, in order to compete in next year’s Tour.
According to his sprint consultant and former team-mate, Mark Renshaw, Cavendish is now at home in Essex, awaiting surgery on his fractured collarbone. No decision has yet been taken on postponing his retirement, although it is thought that the 38-year-old will wait a couple of months before making a final call on his future.
But while Cavendish ponders his plans, the evergreen Geraint Thomas, second overall in this year’s Giro d’Italia and third overall in the 2022 Tour, is expected to sign a new two-year contract with the Ineos Grenadiers team.
“I think we’re getting there,” Ellingworth said of negotiations with Thomas. “Even without results, his presence is massive. “You can’t underestimate what Geraint brings to the team, on the bus, in training camps. The bigger the competition, the better he gets.”
Vingegaard may retain the race lead, but his post-race press conferences are becoming increasingly surreal, as the media continues to chisel at his aloof exterior. Asked to respond to French newspaper Liberation’s suggestion that he struggled with the “impossibility of being in the world” the Dane looked flummoxed.
“‘The impossibility of being in the world?’” he repeated after a long pause. “I don’t even know what that means. That’s a very deep question,” he said, before adding, “I guess we all are.” – Guardian
