Special envoy to Bayonne
Did Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) deserve to be deprived of his third Tour de France victory after winning the sprint through the streets of Bayonne on Monday? The marshals watched the images of his duel for a long time against Wout Van Aert, stuck against the barriers and forced to release his effort a few tens of meters from the finish. A justified decision because Philipsen never intended to endanger Van Aert but who questions the risky route of the sprint.
His success hung by a thread for several minutes and we saw the Belgian review, worried, the action in the company of Tadej Pogacar, before receiving authorization to climb on the ceremonial podium after validation of his victory. .
“I quickly realized there had been an incident but I knew the right side of the road was the shortest route to the finish line. When you’re in the lead, you have to take the shortest route. The gap was small and I don’t think I was unfair to anyone. What is certain is that if the finish line had been straight, the sprint would not have given rise to any discussion”, confided the Belgian who touches the crux of the problem: the presence of a bend just before the ‘arrival.
Philipsen, in the lead, took the tangent, leaning to the right without suddenly changing course (nor forcing the passage with the elbows). Wedged by barriers (which may have been shifted by the pressure of spectators), Van Aert, perhaps frightened by the proximity of the railings, cautiously released his effort after realizing he had no chance of passing through a mouse hole. A wise decision.
“It is not for me to answer on this subject but for the organization. Accidents also happen on straight roads”, explained the winner of the day when asked about the final turn in full sprint. The two men could have a new opportunity to shine in a face-to-face since Tuesday’s stage, between Dax and Nogaro, with a finish on the racing circuit, will be cut out for sprinters. But in a straight line this time.