Sprint glory as Philipsen seals win before the Pyrenees at the Tour de France

The tour rolls into the Pyrenees after a sprint-fueled day

Belgian sprinter Jasper Philipsen delivered another commanding display on Tuesday, claiming his second consecutive victory as the Tour de France reached the fourth stage. The 181.9-kilometer route stretched from Dax to Nogaro, a crossing day that offered a rare chance for the fast men to shine. Adam Yates, racing for UAE Team Emirates, clung to the yellow jersey, maintaining his lead as the race moved into a tougher phase.

Sprinters dominated the narrative ahead of the Pyrenees, and Philipsen seized the moment with a well-timed surge that underscored his consistency against a field eager to chase the best. On a day that unfolded with tactical patience, the victory was sealed at the Paul Armagnac racetrack in Nogaro, where Philipsen crossed the line with a comfortable average speed that left rivals with work to do on the long, broken parcours. The stage was decided by a sprint that demonstrated both timing and nerve, as the peloton absorbed the late accelerations with little response beyond admiration for the winner’s form.

With this win, Philipsen added a fourth Tour stage triumph to his tally, edging ahead of contemporaries like Caleb Ewan and Phil Bauhaus who sought to challenge his pace on the flat to rolling finishes. The victory language carried echoes of past sprints, where multiple attempts were made to disrupt the rhythm, yet Philipsen’s command of the sprint train remained unshaken. The race’s dynamic shifted subtly, signaling a shift to the mountain terrain that would define the next phase of the Tour.

As the favorites settled into a quiet, respectful cadence, the party belonged to the sprinters who kept the atmosphere celebratory yet focused. From the moment the riders left the starting gates, the days ahead promised a mix of climbing tests and sprint opportunities, with Soudet and Marie-Blanche marking the early mountain entries. Adam Yates held a slim margin over Tadej Pogacar and his brother Simon Yates, while Spaniards Mikel Landa and Carlos Rodríguez stood in the mix, eyeing potential gains as the route tilted upward in the Pyrenees.

General classification of the Tour de France

1. Adam Yates UAD 18:18:01

2. Tadej Pogacar UAD +0:06

3. Simon Yates JAY +0:06

4. Victor Lafay COF +0:12

5. Wout van Aert TJV +0:16

6. Jonas Vingegaard TJV +0:17

7. Jai Hindley NOH +0:22

8. Michael Woods IPT +0:22

9. Mattias Skjelmose TFS +0:22

10. Carlos Rodriguez IGD+0:22

11. David Gaudu GFC+0:22

12. Mikel Landa TBV +0:22

13. Wilco Kelderman TJV +0:22

14. Romain Bardet DSM +0:43

15. Thomas Pidcock IGD +0:43

16. Emanuel Buchmann BOH +0:43

17. Guilio Ciccone TREK +0:43

18. Peio Bilbao TBV +0:43

19. Steff Cras ON +0:43

20. Dylan Teuns TECH +0:43