Ahead of the three gruelling Alpine stages, Jasper Philipsen seized the sprinters’ last chance to shine and won the 17th stage of the Tour de France. After 174.7 kilometres from Chambéry to Voiron, the Belgian claimed victory ahead of Switzerland’s Mauro Schmid and the Dutchman Olav Kooij in a sprint finish involving a large group. For Philipsen, it was the eleventh stage win of his career.
The German riders didn’t stand a chance. The best-placed German was Georg Zimmermann in 18th place. The favourites, led by race leader Tadej Pogacar, took it easy and were several minutes behind this time.
Lipowitz has already had an operation
German cycling star Florian Lipowitz, who suffered a serious fall during Tuesday’s individual time trial and broke his collarbone, has since undergone surgery. The 25-year-old is expected to be sidelined for at least six weeks.
The first tough Alpine stage will take place on Thursday without him. The route covers 185.2 kilometres from Voiron to Orcières-Merlette. A total of five mountain climbs and 3,800 metres of elevation gain await the riders. The final climb is 7.1 kilometres long with an average gradient of 6.7 per cent.
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