Cycling-Philipsen sprints to Tour de France stage 13 win, Pogacar retains lead (updated)

Deceuninck NV

12/07/2024 16:54

(Adds details, quotes throughout)
       AGEN, France, July 12 (Reuters) - Jasper Philipsen of
Alpecin-Deceuninck won Friday's stage 13 of the Tour de France,
a 165km flat ride from Agen to Pau, pipping Wout Van Aert to the
line in a crash-marred sprint finale to win his second stage in
four days.
        Visma-Lease a Bike's Van Aert had looked set for victory
when he was led out by his teammate but Philipsen picked the
right moment to attack and overtook his Belgian compatriot who
also finished second in Thursday's stage 12.
  
        "We are already with two stage wins, so it's not a bad
Tour. We always want more, but we just have to go day by day and
enjoy the victory today," said Philipsen, who won four stages
last year.
  
        "Wout was piloted perfectly by Christophe Laporte. I was
on the wheel but I had to launch early so I could pass him. So
I'm really happy with my sprint and with the feeling.
  
        "This was my best feeling so far in the Tour de France,
we didn't have the best start... Some bad luck, but I'm happy we
could turn it around."
  
        Another Belgian sprinter, Arnaud De Lie, was also in the
running but he saw his hopes of a sprint victory evaporate when
he was involved in a crash in the final kilometre where several
riders hit the deck.
  
    Pascal Ackerman was third while Biniam Girmay, who has won
three stages so far, was fourth.
    Pogacar, meanwhile, retained the yellow jersey and the UAE
Team Emirates rider stays one minute and six seconds ahead of
Remco Evenepoel while Jonas Vingegaard is a further eight
seconds behind.
        Pogacar is looking to become the first rider in 26 years
to achieve the Giro d'Italia and Tour double.
  
        His fellow Slovenian Primoz Roglic was sixth in the
standings ahead of stage 13 but was forced to 
    abandon the race
     following a crash on Thursday.
  

 (Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Andrew
Heavens and Christian Radnedge)
 ((Rohith.Nair@thomsonreuters.com | Twitter: @RohithNair;))