Untouchable in the sprint, the Belgian Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin) won his 4th victory in the Tour de France 2023 by winning the 11th stage, Wednesday, in Moulins.
Dane Jonas Vingegaard retains the yellow jersey after a quiet day for the favorites on the eve of a new leapfrog stage Thursday in Beaujolais.
Even deprived of his luxury pilot fish Mathieu van der Poel, left behind in the final, Philipsen won with a comfortable margin ahead of the Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen and the German Phil Bauhaus.
It is already the Belgian’s fourth victory, wearing the green jersey, since the start on July 1 in Bilbao, after his successes in Bayonne, Nogaro and Bordeaux.
“It’s an incredible Tour for me. Everything works like clockwork, I’m happy with my form and I managed to avoid the pitfalls in the final,” commented the winner.
“Yes, I can also win without Mathieu (van der Poel). He makes things easier for me. There I had to find the right wheel. I took Groenewegen’s, he threw it, it was perfect,” he added.
The peloton arrived grouped in the streets of Moulins, soaked by the storm, after a much quieter stage than the previous days.
Three men – Andrey Amador, Matis Louvel and Daniel Oss – enlivened the day by starting up front. Oss, the last survivor, was caught 13 km from the finish after a 161 km breakaway.
