Jake Stewart (Israel-Premier Tech) powered to an impressive sprint victory in Mâcon at the end of a challenging 183km stage, earning his first-ever win at the WorldTour level. The British rider from Israel-Premier Tech launched his sprint from 300 meters out, catching his competitors off guard and outpacing some of the biggest names in the field.
Despite the presence of sprint favorite Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), Stewart’s long-range move paid off. He crossed the line ahead of Axel Laurance (Ineos Grenadiers) and Søren Wærenskold (Uno-X Mobility), who finished second and third respectively. Milan, who was expected to dominate the finale, ended up in fifth place.
It was a bittersweet day in the peloton, as race leader Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) held onto the yellow jersey despite a late crash on a sharp 180-degree corner – now being referred to as “the U-bend.” The Belgian finished the stage visibly battered, with a torn jersey and a bleeding finger, but otherwise unshaken.
The general classification saw little movement apart from the unfortunate crash and subsequent withdrawal of Harold Tejada (XDS-Astana), who had been sitting seventh. His exit bumped others up a place, while Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) maintained their time gaps of 16 and 38 seconds behind Evenepoel.
For Stewart, this marks a breakthrough season. It’s the first time he’s taken two wins in a year since joining the top-tier racing scene. His opportunity on the day came after teammate Pascal Ackermann crashed, leaving the Coventry native to step up for the team’s final sprint chance of the race.
“This one means a lot,” Stewart said after the finish. “It’s tough seeing Pascal go down like that. I hope he’s okay. But the team really rallied behind me when it became clear I’d be the one to go for it. Everyone committed, and I’m just thrilled I could bring it home.”
He added, “I’ve been feeling stronger and more confident all season. I won a stage at Dunkerque earlier this year, came close on Stage 1 here, and now to finally get it right — especially on our last real sprint day — it’s incredible.”
Stewart described the final stretch as chaotic but decisive. “It got tight near the end, especially through the U-bend. But I managed to get onto Van der Poel’s wheel, and from there I knew I had to launch early. I jumped at 300 meters and just gave everything I had.”
The route from Saint-Priest to Mâcon offered very little flat terrain, featuring one category-four and three category-three climbs. With the last climb topping out 27km from the finish, it was enough to wear down the peloton without eliminating the sprinters.
An early breakaway formed shortly after the flag dropped, including Enzo Leijnse (Picnic PostNL), Pierre Thierry (Arkea-B&B Hotels), and Jordan Labrosse (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale). Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis) and Thibault Guernalec (Arkea-B&B Hotels) later bridged across as the climbing began.
The group was kept on a short leash by the peloton, and by the final ascent, it had dwindled to three riders. Despite their best efforts, Labrosse, Thomas, and Guernalec were reeled in just 1.7km from the finish, setting the stage for the dramatic bunch sprint that followed.
With only three stages left — including a summit finish and two mountain-heavy days — today marked the last real chance for the fast men. Stewart made it count, capitalizing on timing, strength, and a bit of misfortune for his rivals to notch the biggest win of his career so far.
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