Cycling: Jasper Philipsen has won the 16th stage of the Tour de France. The Belgian confidently won the mass sprint in Nimes ahead of Phil Bauhaus from Germany.
Philipsen takes his third daily victory
Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin – Deceuninck) secured his third victory . The Belgian won the mass sprint after 188,6 kilometers from Gruissan to Nîmes. Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain – Victorious) of Germany rode in his slipstream to second place but struggled to keep up with Philipsen's attack. Biniam Girmay (Intermarché – Wanty) was unable to contest the stage win, crashing in a roundabout with approximately two kilometers to go. This was a bitter blow for the Eritrean, as Philipsen not only leveled the score at 3-3 in stage wins but also gained 50 points in the battle for the green jersey.
Gachignard as the only outlier
Chris Harper (Jayco – AlUla) and Maxim van Gils (Lotto – Dstny) were the last two riders to start today's stage due to positive COVID-19 tests. This leaves 150 professionals in the race. Only one of them – Thomas Gachignard (TotalEnergies) – dared to attack. However, the Frenchman was caught by the peloton with around 20 kilometers to go. He can at least take some satisfaction in being named the most active rider of the day.
Au-dessus du lot, Jasper Philipsen remporte la 16e étape! The Belge profite également de la chute de Girmay dans the final pour relancer la course au maillot vert #LesRP #TDF20 pic.twitter.com/G74iGxrhmq
— Eurosport France (@Eurosport_FR) July 16, 2024