Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco-AlUla) won his first Tour de France stage in two years, beating Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), who was later relegated to 107th place for deviating his line in the final 200 meters. As a result, Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) moved up to second place, and Fernando Gaviria (Movistar) moved up to third.
Groenewegen was relieved that he finally had a win. “I’m really happy, this is such a good feeling. I said beforehand that it would be nice to win and have a photo in the red-white-blue, but I couldn’t celebrate at the finish line. That’s a shame. I’m really relieved, because yesterday I was still very disappointed. The team did a good job and I couldn’t finish it off. Today it went well again and we stayed calm.”
“I love these sprints, next to each other,” Groenewegen added. “Winning just at the finish is also great. The fact that I can win in the first week means a lot, especially after those missed opportunities and also against such a strong sprint field.”
Groenewegen fought for victory in the final straight with Philipsen, who had to admit defeat just before. “I love these sprints, next to each other. Winning just at the finish is also great. The fact that I can win in the first week means a lot, especially after those missed opportunities and also against such a strong sprint field.”
Jasper Philipsen expressed his disappointment but accepted the decision of the UCI to relegate him. “Of course I am very disappointed. Because I was just beaten in the sprint and I could not finish the perfect work of my teammates, but even more because I was declassified. About the declassification; I can do nothing else than accept the decision of the jury. I try to be a fair sprinter, I have no intention to hinder or endanger other riders. The jury thinks that I did that today and I have no doubt that they made their decision accurately”.
Wout van Aerts was not pleased with Philipsen’s erratic riding in the sprint. “I was closed in again by Jasper Philipsen. That’s a bad habit of his. It wasn’t super dangerous, I could still get to the brakes. But I was at the same height and he really went to the fences. Am I angry? I am mainly happy that I stayed upright. I would be angry if there were no sanctions. He does not need to be thrown out of the race for me, but a declassification is appropriate. Today there was also one dangerous situation after another in the sprint. My legs were good, I felt a lot better than the previous days.”
Philipsen later apologized on social media for his actions. “Of course I am disappointed that I was disqualified yesterday after a very hectic sprint. I want to apologize to Wout van Aert . It was in no way my intention to box him in or force him between the barriers on purpose. Like every sprinter, I am super competitive and I want to win every sprint stage, but not at the expense of the safety of another rider.”
RESULTS
Stage 6: Mâcon > Dijon (163.5km)
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
