Money, time and points gone
Tour punishes German sprinter Phil Bauhaus
7/5/2023 6:59 am
Team Bahrain Victorious’ Phil Bauhaus continues to stir things up at the Tour de France. On the fourth stage, the 28-year-old sprints to third place. But a few hours after his arrival, he is punished, his good mood has nothing to do with it.
The German professional cyclist Phil Bauhaus (Bocholt/Team Bahrain Victorious) was punished three times after his third place in the mass sprint of the 4th Tour de France stage. The 28-year-old had to pay a fine of 500 Swiss francs (511 euros) for disabling another driver, and all 50 classification points for the green jersey for the best sprinter were deducted. In addition, he receives a 30-second time penalty for the overall ranking.
According to the tour management, Bauhaus illegally blocked the way of a competitor 1.8 kilometers before the finish of the stage between Dax and Nogaro on Tuesday on the Circuit Paul Armagnac motorsport course. Bauhaus sprinted across the line in third place behind stage winner Jasper Philipsen (Belgium/Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Australian Caleb Ewan (Lotto Dstny). Bauhaus was not pushed back.
Irrespective of this, the mood at Bauhaus could hardly be better. Which is also due to his special relationship with Nikias Arndt. Both were inseparable after the fourth stage, even when exiting on the roll. Side by side, the two professional cyclists from Team Bahrain Victorious kicked their tired legs and talked about their recent successful performance at the 110th Tour France.
“In the Shape of His Life”
“Nikias is my best friend,” said Bauhaus after the sprint to third place on the fourth stage of the tour. For the second time in two days, the Bocholter raced into the top 3 – an impressive result for the 28-year-old tour debutant despite the penalty: “I think I’ve proven that I’m one of the best.”
Arndt has long been convinced of this. The 31-year-old has a variety of tasks in the team, including helping Bauhaus prepare for the sprint. The blind understanding of the two is one of the secrets of success. “It also plays a role that you have someone with you in the final that you can trust 100 percent,” said Bauhaus.
The friendship has grown. They have raced for the same team (Sunweb) in the past. The duo has been reunited since the 2023 season. “With Phil, you know what you have – or don’t have. He gives you a lot as a friend and teammate. He’s very collegial, but he also tells you when something’s going silly,” said Arndt: “We’re getting scary well understood. It’s a very cool combination.”
In the Tour of France, Arndt and Bauhaus ideally want to toast to a stage win at some point. Arndt has no doubts that this will happen: “Phil is in the form of his life and has arrived among the best in the world. His legs are good, you can clearly see that.”