Jumbo-Visma "make fun of us" says Jasper Philipsen, second today in Cahors

Jasper Philipsen has taken his stage win in the second week of the Tour de France, but was nevertheless disappointed to miss out on a second triumph today in the 19th stage as he finished first in the peloton's bunch sprint, however behind Christophe Laporte.

“This is a big missed opportunity. My own fault, I think. By misjudging a corner at a kilometer and a half from the finish, I lost a teammate's wheel and left Laporte with a gap," Philipsen said after the finish. "Yes, it was a chaotic final, but this was not allowed to happen.”

That crucial mistake saw Laporte go up the road and find the perfect conditions to take a strong stage win. Philipsen was left regretting that crucial moment. "The reason? It was a tough race, maybe that's why. From that moment on I had two options: either close the gap with Laporte as soon as possible, at the risk of mortgaging my sprint, or wait. I chose the second option. Laporte took full advantage," he explained.

The Belgian will have a final opportunity in Paris, where he was in tears last year after six podium finishes. Alpecin-Deceuninck worked hard to allow a bunch sprint today, and it should be the same scenario. “I have no other choice. Too bad, because I had good legs and managed to be the fastest in the actual sprint. This is really a missed opportunity.”

He feels in the skin the dominance of Jumbo-Visma which spreads out to the punchy sprint stages. “They make fun of us”, he said in the post-race interview. “They clean up the entire Tour. That's good for them, but less for the opposition. It is remarkable how they bend the Tour to their will. We are not one, but two steps behind.”