Jasper Philipsen celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the tenth stage of the Tour de France, in Saint-Amand-Montrond, France, on July 9.Jerome Delay/The Associated Press
Jasper Philipsen edged a thrilling sprint to win his first stage of this Tour de France on Tuesday after finishing runner-up twice last week.
Biniam Girmay, winner of two stages already, was runner-up a second time, and Pascal Ackermann was third.
The overall leaders stayed the same. Tadej Pogacar retained the yellow jersey with the same 33 second gap on Remco Evenepoel and more than a minute on two-time defending champion Jonas Vingegaard.
The 10th stage from Orleans to Saint-Amand-Montrond in central France was a flat 187 kilometres without classified climbs, and set the stage for a mass sprint.
Philipsen, the Belgian rider known for his powerful finishes, finally capitalized. This was his seventh career stage in the last three Tours.
“Today everything worked according to plan,” Philipsen said. “We came to the Tour de France with the goal of winning at least one stage. I’m really happy that we can now tick that box and go further in the Tour with more confidence in the team.”
Following the first rest day, the race unfolded without major disruptions despite intermittent showers. The peloton enjoyed a picturesque route, passing the 500-year-old Chateau de Chambord.
Stage 11 on Wednesday will get the riders back climbing again in the Massif Central mountains.