Winner in Bayonne (3rd stage), as in Nogaro (4th stage), Jasper Philipsen won again in Bordeaux (7th stage), this Friday. At the end of a sprint which, after being reviewed, showed a very limited new manoeuvre. From there to wearing the label of dangerous sprinter? Magneto.
In Bayonne, the sprinter from the Alpecin-Deceuninck team had to wait long minutes before seeing his victory confirmed. The Belgian, powered by Mathieu Van der Poel, had, in the slight right turn at the end of the sprint, packed down Wout van Aert who, frightened by the proximity of warped barriers and the closing door, had stopped his effort. Philipsen, after viewing the scene by the commissioners, was logically able to parade on the podium.
In Nogaro (4th stage), Jasper Philipsen once again took advantage of the monstrous work of Mathieu Van der Poel, before settling the sprint. A packaging worthy of the racing circuit, enamelled with an irregularity. Van der Poel who had in his effort, used his shoulders and his elbows, to the detriment of the Eritrean Biniam Girmay was sanctioned, demoted to the last place of the group. Philipsen, aware that his sprint might be flawed, didn’t raise his arms as he crossed the line. But the jury of commissioners had not questioned its success.
In Bordeaux (7th stage), the green jersey once again followed in the wake of the swift Van der Poel but when leaving the wake of his teammate on the left of the road, sucked up by rivals launched at high speed on the right of the road (in particular Cavendish and Girmay), he gradually left his line, crossed the width of the road to end up packing the Eritrean Biniam Girmay forced to slow down his effort.
Jasper Philipsen, with 100% success, dominates the arrows of the Tour but he has not won a clear sprint this year. This Friday, he clearly left his line. This does not make him a dangerous sprinter and this was not noted by the marshals. But he is playing with fire.
