Stage 3 of Tirreno-Adriatico ended in a bunch sprint after a nervous day and Phil Bauhaus was close to hitting the jackpot. The German sprinter did a strong sprint but couldn't get through Jasper Philipsen towards the end.
He, like many others, was put under pressure when Jumbo-Visma created echelons towards the end of the stage. “Actually, the split happened just in front of me. I joined my teammates, pulling in the back to bring our captain Mikel Landa back to the front, but then I rested a bit to save my energies so that I could make a good sprint when they came back together," Bauhaus said in a post-race interview.
The German managed to get himself in a good position unlike many of the fast men in the race. He was in the wheel of Jasper Philipsen entering the very fast sprint. "The lead-out was super good, with a difficult finale. After yesterday we saw we all have good legs. We just needed to find each other deeper into the ending. That’s what happened today," he describes... "I was on Philipsen wheels; then he got a strong lead-out from his teammate Van der Poel."
In what was a short sprint Bauhaus could not go through the Belgian, but managed to finish in a prestigious second place. "Philipsen is one of the fastest guys in the peloton, and he can start a sprint late. Therefore, there was no chance for me to pass him. Anyway, I’m happy with second place," Bauhaus concluded.
🇫🇷 #ParisNice | Stage 5 🚩 Saint-Symphorien-sur-Coise 🏁 Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux 🛣️ 212.4km ➡️The longest of the 8 stages, and a flat finish that favours the fast men. But a hilly profile means the breakaway artists will also fight for their chance. #RideAsOne @ParisNice
