Tour de France: Bauhaus third at the next Philipsen show

Another close call: Phil Bauhaus rushed doggedly and with his last ounce of strength towards the finish line, but in the end speed king Jasper Philipsen was unbeatable in Moulins.

Tour de France 2023: Philipsen takes fourth stage win on stage 11

The Belgian celebrated his fourth stage win on the eleventh stage of the 2023 Tour de France, while Bauhaus added another podium to his tally with third place behind Dylan Groenewegen. The 28-year-old had already finished second in Bayonne and third the following day in Nogaro.

"It's been an incredible tour so far. I can't even comprehend how well it's going. I'm very proud and happy with his form. We did well again in the final," said Philipsen, who had to manage without the help of top rider Mathieu van der Poel. "I can win without him. But he's really important for the team."

Not even the greatest optimists would have expected Philipsen to dominate the bunch sprints to such an extent. Apart from the 25-year-old, everyone who has a name in sprinting is represented at this year's Tour. Bauhaus was almost ideally positioned in the finale, but the difference was once again made by Philipsen's unbridled strength and tactical flair, who won by a large margin.

No shifts in the overall standings

There were no changes at the top of the overall standings on the last flat stage before the Alps. The Danish defending champion Jonas Vingegaard is 17 seconds ahead of the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar. Jai Hindley from the German team Bora-Hansgrohe is 2:40 minutes back in third.

The first arrival in the history of the Tour de France in Moulins had been identified as the last chance for the sprinters in the second week of the Tour de France. Bauhaus' prediction about the course of the race was accordingly. "We expect a small breakaway group and a fairly controlled day," said the rider from Bocholt at the start in Clermont-Ferrand. The corresponding group of three daredevils was quickly formed, but the peloton did not even give the trio a four-minute lead. With 13.5 kilometres to go, the peloton was back together and the sprint preparation began.

UAE Team Emirates provides entertainment

Two-time winner Tadej Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates provided the entertainment on what was for the most part a dull stage. "Okay guys, plan C. We'll jump the tiger. If the crocodiles have to swim, you jump," radioed a sports director. What the instruction meant remained unclear at first. Mikkel Bjerg provided clarification at the finish line.

The fact that this year's Tour de France will be broadcasting radio messages during the race in a similar way to Formula 1 is an innovation. The communication will not be broadcast live, but will be picked up by a team of officials. Each team receives compensation of 5000 euros for this. This had already caused some discussion because some team bosses thought the amount was far too low. Five teams, FDJ, Cofidis, Movistar, Jayco and Alpecin, decided against the project, not wanting to share any potentially sensitive information.

Tour de France 2023: Here's what happens on stage 12

There is already a taste of the Alps on Thursday. On the way to the Beaujolais wine region, two second-category climbs have to be tackled on the last 50 of the 168.8 kilometres. If the classement favourites take it easy, a breakaway group will probably fight out the day's victory among themselves.

>> Stage 12: The preview with Rolf Aldag

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