Jasper Philipsen was denied a fourth stage win of the 2023 Tour de France by Mads Pedersen in a dramatic finale to stage 8. Speaking afterwards, he recapped the final sprint and had a word for Mark Cavendish after he was forced to abandon.
"It’s a disappointment," Philipsen admits in his post-stage interview. "It was a fair sprint, Mads had the best legs, congrats to him. It was not meant to be for us. The team did an amazing job but I couldn’t finish it off – I didn’t have the legs. We would have liked to win today, but it was not the best finish for my abilities."
Prior to the start of the stage there was much talk over whether Alpecin-Deceuninck would go with Philipsen or Mathieu van der Poel for the win. "It was a good finish for Mads, and to Mathieu. We could have done other way around, but the points jersey main is our goal and we went with me," Philipsen explains. "We have been successful so far, so nothing to regret."
Finally, Philipsen made comment on Cavendish who has sadly been taken from his final Tour de France in an ambulance. "I was surprised to hear that Mark Cavendish had crashed out. He was on a good track to win a stage and beat Merckx’s record, and it’s very unfortunate that his story in the Tour de France finished up like this. I am sorry for him and wish him all the best. He sure inspired me, as he is the best sprinter of all time. He is a legend, and a great example for me."
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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When you went all in, but just couldn't finish it. Nevertheless, an excellent sprint performance by @JasperPhilipsen, who strengthens his lead in the points classification. Good job from the whole team! Tomorrow we start in 'PouPou-land' 🙏 #AlpecinDeceuninck ©FacePeeters
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