Jasper Philipsen took his fourth win of this Tour de France, claiming stage 11 from Clermont-Ferrand to Moulins by sprinting clear of his closest rival Dylan Groenewegen, of Team Jayco AlUla, in the final 100 metres.
The Belgian – already a winner in Bayonne, Nogaro and Bordeaux – mastered the fast finish with ease. This despite the absence of his steadfast lead‑out man and Alpecin-Deceuninck teammate Mathieu van der Poel, who was dropped by the bunch, after illness.
“I can win without Mathieu, 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 (Jumbo-Visma), finished safely in the peloton and retains a 17-second lead over Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates).
A stage earmarked by 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 (TotalEnergies) was finally swept up with 13km to race. The speed increased as the riders sped over the Pont Régemortes, bridging the Allier river, despite steady rain falling in the closing kilometres. But Philipsen was always in control and unleashed his power in the final 100m 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 the General Classification. “You can’t say he couldn’t podium,” Rod Ellingworth, the 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 the race leader Vingegaard. Ellingworth said of Pidcock: “He wouldn’t want to lose any more time to the group below the leading two, 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. 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 teammate, 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.
While Cavendish ponders his plans, the evergreen Geraint Thomas, second overall in the Giro d’Italia this year and third in the 2022 Tour, is expected to sign a new two-year contract with Ineos Grenadiers. “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 the French newspaper Libération’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 added: “I guess we all are.”
