Jasper Philipsen claimed his second stage win of the 2024 Tour de France on Friday, but the Belgian sprinter faced renewed criticism from rivals over his sprinting style. The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider avoided a late crash to hold off Wout Van Aert and Pascal Ackermann in Pau.
After the finish, Ackermann refused to shake Philipsen's hand and accused him of dangerous riding. 'Philipsen took my front wheel when he was passing me, turned right and I nearly crashed,' the Israel-Premier Tech rider said. 'He has so many times now [done] the same, and he's still doing it. I hope they take him back [relegate him] today, because it's too much.' Philipsen declined to comment on the allegations.
The stage was the eighth fastest in Tour history, with average speeds near 50km/h and gusting crosswinds causing multiple splits in the peloton. The top three on general classification – Tadej Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard – were active throughout, but some breakaway riders were frustrated by Pogacar's UAE Emirates team pushing the pace. French rider Julien Bernard said he asked Pogacar's teammate Adam Yates to back off, but Yates said his team wanted him to ride.
High speeds and incessant attacks eliminated several sprinters, including Mark Cavendish, who was dropped in crosswinds 60km from the finish. Meanwhile, Covid-19 continues to affect the race: Juan Ayuso, a key climbing lieutenant for Pogacar, withdrew due to the virus, while Vingegaard wore a face mask as a precaution. Primoz Roglic, second overall in 2020, did not start stage 13 after crashing on Thursday, with his Bora-Hansgrohe team citing medical examination results.
Philipsen believes there is one more sprint opportunity – stage 16 from Gruissan to Nîmes – before the peloton faces a final week of mountain stages and a closing time trial in Nice on 21 July. 'It will be tough after stage 16,' he said. 'You have to suffer through the next four stages to arrive in Nice. We will have to stay mentally strong.'
