Jasper Philipsen moves into Green Jersey after second straight stage win: "It looks good now. However, we have only four stages behind us"

There was no disaster for Jasper Philipsen yet again at the 2023 Tour de France as the Alpecin-Deceuninck sprinter fired his way to victory for the second successive stage, moving into the Green Jersey in the process.

“It was a very easy stage. I think everyone wanted to save their legs for the Pyrenees in the coming stages," the 25-year-old Belgian analysed in his post-stage interview after a quiet day where the breakaway didn't form until the latter half of the stage.

The final sprint though was anything but calm. With multiple crashes, numerous riders hit the deck as the racing became hectic. "I hope everyone is okay. It was very hectic with the corners at the end, so I lost my teammates for a while," says Philipsen. "In the last straight line, however, I found Van der Poel again. He did a great leadout to take me to the win. However, the cramp set in and it was close with Ewan."

Although it was close, Philipsen was narrowly the winner. With his second straight win, the Belgian also now moves into the Green Jersey. "It's a nice finish. With the wide corners I thought it would be safer, but it turned out to be very tricky. Luckily the tires were fine and I didn't skid," concludes Philipsen. "It looks good now. However, we have only four stages behind us. The Tour will take a long time, but we will defend the green."