Belgian cyclist Jasper Philipsen won the third stage of the Tour de France, spanning 193.5km from Amorebieta Etxano, Spain. His victory, ably aided by his Alpecin-Deceuninck teammate Mathieu van der Poel, came after a gruelling long sprint, with German Phil Bauhaus and Australian Caleb Ewan securing second and third places, respectively.
Adam Yates from Britain maintained his overall lead from winning the opening stage, carrying the yellow jersey as the race entered the Basque country in France. The Tour remained unaffected by recent civil unrest in France, and no incidents were reported during the stage.
Despite the presence of minor climbs at the start, this stage favoured the sprinters. Early breakaway riders, American Neilson Powless and France’s Laurent Pichon, were easily caught well before the final stretch. Philipsen shone brightly amongst his peers, displaying exceptional teamwork and securing his third Tour win and seventh victory of the season.
He said, “It’s not easy to stay on Mathieu’s wheel. Everything went according to plan, he’s the perfect lead-out rider. When he goes it’s hard to go past him. We’ve been working hard and I’m really happy it has worked as early in the Tour as today.”
Van der Poel, although not in his best form in the initial two stages, performed brilliantly on Monday. “It was a quiet stage, until the last 40 kilometres when it got dangerous,” he remarked, “I think it was a perfect lead-out from the team and I had to bring him to the 300m line.”
Meanwhile, British cyclist Mark Cavendish, who is vying for the record of 34 stage wins on the Tour, finished in the sixth position. This Tour de France will be his last.
2023 Tour de France Stage 3 result
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