- Cavendish’s mechanical failure prevents record-setting stage victory
- Philipsen claims third stage win, denying Cavendish’s victory
- Philipsen now leads in points classification, aims for green jersey
If Mark Cavendish does not win a record-setting stage in the Tour de France this July, the finish in Bordeaux during the 2023 Tour will likely haunt him.
Cavendish still had the speed to win thirteen summers after his last Tour stage on the banks of the Garonne, but his second mechanical failure of the day dashed his prospects.
“Unfortunately, I had a problem with my gears when I was sprinting,” said Cavendish. “I went from the 11 [sprocket] to the 12 [sprocket] and had to stop and return to the 11.” It was quite devastating there. It was subpar. I suppose it wasn’t meant to be.”
The 38-year-old had come agonizingly close to a record 35th stage victory, only to have it wrenched away by Jasper Philipsen, winner in Bayonne and Nogaro, who has now won three stages in this year’s Tour.
Cavendish appeared to win the stage in the final 50 metres before slowing down. After crossing the finish line, he blamed his gears for slipping just as he needed them to operate efficiently.
“I was in a favorable position,” he stated. “I may have appeared to be far behind, but I was exactly where I wanted to be. It is a lengthy, straight conclusion.
“I was on the right track and then lost it a little sooner than I would have liked, but it was roughly the same time as in 2010.”
It was a devastating disappointment during his final tour. Even Philipsen appeared regretful to have ruined the celebration.
The Belgian said of Cavendish, “He was extremely strong.” “I, too, would have liked to see him win, but I’m certain he’ll keep trying, and he’s in good shape.”
But did Cavendish continue to believe that he possessed the pace to defeat Philipsen? “I believe so,” he responded.
Before praising his Astana Qazaqstan colleagues, he exclaimed, “I’m disappointed there, but we’ll keep trying.” There was an improvement in the guys’ behavior, so you can be optimistic.
Philipsen, like Cavendish, is dominating the sprints and hopes to wear the green jersey on July 23 on the Champs-Élysées.
“From now on, I believe it will be a priority to attempt to bring this [green jersey] to Paris, but it’s still a long and difficult Tour, so we’ll see. I am simply appreciating the present.
It’s a dream come true for us, a dream tour,” Philipsen said, “and hopefully we’ll be able to add another one, but I’m also looking forward to Paris.
As the peloton left the Pyrenees and raced through the flatlands of the Landes and Gironde towards the banks of the Garonne, the majority of the sprinters exhaled a sigh of relief, having endured two grueling days of aggressive racing in the high mountains.
The early move was initiated by Simon Guglielmi of the Arkéa Samsic team, who rode alone for the majority of the stage before being joined by Pierre Latour of TotalEnergies and Nans Peters of AG2R Citron with just over 70 kilometers remaining.
The group rewarded Guglielmi’s efforts by abandoning him with 40 kilometers to go, as the peloton finally accelerated in pursuit. However, the duo’s attack was ultimately thwarted at the entrance to Bordeaux.
Earlier, with 50km remaining in the race, Cavendish was compelled to chase back to the pack after a bike change, with Philipsen’s key teammate Mathieu van der Poel alongside him. However, both riders were able to rejoin the pack.
Cavendish is one of only five cyclists who competed in the 2010 Tour de France who are competing in this. Daniel Oss and Edvald Boasson Hagen of TotalEnergies, Dries Devenyns of Soudal Quick Step, and the former world road race champion Rui Costa of Intermarché-Circus-Wanty are the others.
As more sprint finishes are likely to occur later in this race, all of this experience will be crucial. But Philipsen is showing no signs of slowing down during the sprint stages. As he noted, Cavendish appears to have the necessary speed and is closing in, but the wait persists.
Away from the sprints, the defending Tour champion, Jonas Vingegaard, was attempting to downplay the shocking loss he suffered at Thursday’s Pyrenean finish at Cauterets-Cambasque at the hands of adversary Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates.
Vingegaard, who claims the overall lead into Saturday’s stage to Limoges when the peloton turns towards the Massif Central, told French media that he was “feeling better and better every day.”
Vingegaard responded dryly when asked about the pressure on him and his Jumbo-Visma teammates to lead the Tour by just 25 seconds over Pogacar: “I think it’s always better to be 25 seconds ahead than 25 seconds behind.”
