"When I cannot reach my level, that is not enjoyable" - Jasper Philipsen doesn't look for excuses after a botched sprint in Bordeaux
CyclingFriday, 10 July 2026 at 23:00
Those who have survived the mythical Col du Tourmalet could look forward to some sprinter action in Bordeaux on Friday. Ultimately, Tim Merlier prevailed in the city of wine, beating Soren Waerenskjold and Biniam Girmay convincingly. Meanwhile, his rival Jasper Philipsen had to settle for a mere fifth place.
The Alpecin-Premier Tech sprint train did a seemingly perfect job at setting up their leader. However Philipsen could not get up to speed and got swarmed by his launching rivals. After the finish, the Belgian was visibly frustrated as he tossed his helmet in anger.
"I was in the position to start the sprint," Philipsen told Sporza. "I could launch, but there was not enough speed. That is disappointing because the team did everything perfectly."
"Of course there is frustration after the race, but that is part of the sport," he said. "When I cannot reach my level, that is not enjoyable. I actually felt quite good, but I simply could not find the explosiveness in the final 200 metres. It is a shame, but I did everything I could. It was not enough."
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The race is far from over though. And Philipsen can give his legs another spin on Saturday with yet another straight-forward day from Périgueux to Bergerac.
"The Tour is still long," he said. "I will try to make the most of every opportunity. I hope the feeling improves, but I have to accept how things are at the moment. There are still several chances and hopefully we can take them with better legs."
Pedersen continues in green
Whereas Philipsen aimed for a stage victory today, the leader of points classification Mads Pedersen had more modest ambitions; to limit losses. As the Dane knows he can't compete with the fastest men at the Tour, the main focus was on today's intermediate sprint where he successfully grabbed full 16 points behind the breakaway duo.
"It was a very fast and nervous day in the finale, as always in Bordeaux. The main objective was to consolidate our lead in the points classification. I managed to take a good third place in the intermediate sprint to pocket 16 valuable points against my rivals, notably Biniam Girmay and Jasper Philipsen."
Mads Pedersen in green jersey
"In the finale, positioning was very difficult and chaotic. I finished ninth in the bunch sprint, which isn't the result I was aiming for in terms of the stage win, but it's a good result for the green jersey today. My legs feel good after the mountains, and there's still a long way to go to Paris."
Pedersen holds a rather comfortable position in the points classification with 204 points at the moment. Behind him, the closest challenger is Biniam Girmay at 145 points, followed by Max Kanter at 140 and today's winner Tim Merlier with 134. Jasper Philipsen rounds off the top-5 with 126 points to his name.
Points classification standings after stage 7:
| Position | Rider | Team | Points |
| 1 | Pedersen Mads | Lidl-Trek | 204 |
| 2 | Girmay Biniam | NSN Cycling Team | 145 |
| 3 | Kanter Max | XDS Astana Team | 140 |
| 4 | Merlier Tim | Soudal Quick-Step | 134 |
| 5 | Philipsen Jasper | Alpecin-Premier Tech | 126 |
| 6 | Pogacar Tadej | UAE Team Emirates-XRG | 75 |
| 7 | Wærenskjold Søren | Uno-X Mobility | 73 |
| 8 | Kooij Olav | Decathlon CMA CGM Team | 70 |
| 9 | Turgis Anthony | Team TotalEnergies | 64 |
| 10 | Vingegaard Jonas | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | 61 |
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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