Like an air of deja vu. On Friday July 7, the Tour de France peloton found the flat after a Pyrenean diptych as early – starting from the Spanish Basque Country obliges – as it was trying. As was the case during the two previous stages promised to sprinters, in Bayonne (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) and Nogaro (Gers), this seventh day of racing started slowly, the riders opting for a senator’s pace, before the spirits only warm up a few tens of kilometers from the finish line. And it was again Jasper Philipsen who was the first to cross it. The rider from Alpecin-Deceuninck, who consolidates his green jersey, offers his third success of the week; the fifth in the last five massive sprints of the Grande Boucle.
For a moment, we thought that this Friday would go down in racing history when, 250 meters from the line, Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan) appeared out of nowhere. The Briton, co-holder of the Tour de France stage victory record with legend Eddy Merckx, is looking for a 35e historic success in an event he is competing for the last time; at 38, he decided to retire from sport at the end of the year. But he could not resist the return of the Belgian sprinter. “He was really strong and, like everyone else, I would love to see him win.greeted Jasper Philipsen at a press conference. What is certain is that he will continue to try and that he is in great shape. »
The story would have been all the more beautiful since the native of the Isle of Man was the last rider to win in Bordeaux: it was during the 18e stage of the 2010 edition. Since then, the great barnum had not set down his wheels in the Gironde capital. After thirteen years without the Tour, the locals did honor to the return of the race, massing along the barriers installed on the banks of the Garonne long hours before the passage of the runners; no matter if the mercury was close to 33°C. It must be said that the latter had decided to take their time. “Today, we managed a little bit, the whole peloton wanted a calmer day, explained Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates). In the last hour, we used a lot of energy but it’s still a rest day compared to the two previous stages. »
Frenchman Simon Guglielmi (Arkéa-Samsic) broke away, leading the way alone for a long time before being joined by his compatriots Nans Peters (AG2R-Citroën) and Pierre Latour (TotalEnergies). Last survivor of the fugitive trio, Latour will finally be caught 3.5 kilometers from the finish, when the teams of sprinters were setting up for the final runaway.
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