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Dylan Groenewegen delivered a fine victory to Jayco AlUla by winning in a photo finish on Thursday during the 6th stage of the Tour de France.
The aggressive Dutchman, with his controversial ‘aero beak’ sunglasses, completed a piledriver sprint to beat Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) to the line, with Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) just behind in third.
Mark Cavendish (Astana Qatar) was caught out of position and failed to crack the top 10 after his historic 35th sprint victory on Wednesday.
Philipsen crossed the line in second but was later relegated to 107th in the peloton after the race jury decided he had boxed Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) in the lightning-fast finale.
The Alpecin-Deceuninck team had been warned by the UCI before the stage on Thursday morning after earlier complaints about dangerous sprint manoeuvres.
“Philipsen has locked me up again. It’s a bad habit of theirs,” Van Aert said. Bike flash“It wasn’t super dangerous, I was still able to brake. But it’s not professional to close the door.
“I’m glad I stayed standing,” Van Aert continued. “I would be angry if there had been no sanctions. He doesn’t need to be taken out of the race for me, but a downgrade is appropriate.”
Defending champion Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), race leader Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates) and all the GC Bigs crossed the line on time, with no change in the standings.
The general classification break will be abruptly interrupted on Friday, where a flat 25km time trial is sure to reshuffle the hierarchy.
Groenewegen’s victory on Thursday was important for the 31-year-old sprinter and his Jayco-AlUla team.
Neither rider won a stage at last year’s Tour de France, and the team was under pressure to honour its decision to send Groenewegen rather than Caleb Ewan to the biggest race of the season.
The team also suffered from seeing their climbing captain Simon Yates far from the top of the general classification after the Briton suffered heavy losses in the Alps on Tuesday.
“I’m really happy. It’s an incredible feeling, especially with the red, white and blue jersey (of the Dutch national team),” said Groenewegen at the finish. “I said before that it would be a nice photo, but it was so close today that I couldn’t celebrate at the finish line.”
Groenewegen was in the running in the first two sprints of the Tour, on Monday and Wednesday, but failed to find the winning touch.
The sprinter was quick as a cannonball on Thursday, claiming his sixth career Tour victory with a well-timed overtake about six wheels from the back after Uno X Mobility and then Alpecin-Deceuninck had lit up the sprint.
“Yesterday I was really disappointed, even on the first day, but it was a sprint – sometimes the gap is reduced, but now we have a victory,” said Groenewegen. “A victory in the first week means a lot to me and the team.”
Pogačar isolated in crosswind dismay
Tensions were high throughout Thursday during the 160km journey through Burgundy.
Strong winds blew across the almost flat terrain courseand it appears the group has done its homework on where it might try to split the race.
A series of narrow streets and changes of direction with 85km and 45km to go saw Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, Ineos Grenadiers and Visma-Lease a Bike set out to distance their rivals in a wind-driven split.
Visma-Lease a Bike took the lead for the first dangerous point, and the added power of the Ineos Grenadiers allowed the peloton to split in two.
Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and Vingegaard were all well supported by a handful of their team-mates, but Pogačar was completely isolated in a group of around 50.
Disaster for @TamauPogi – he has no teammates with him in the leading group.
@TamauPogi has reason to worry, all his teammates are in the trapped pack. #TDF2024 pic.twitter.com/gxjkZv88ad
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 4, 2024
Cavendish had dropped out of the pack with a mechanical problem shortly before half-time and found himself a minute behind. It looked as though the Manx were about to be overtaken for good as Visma-Lease a Bike beat their workhorses to the head of a 60km/h peloton.
Fortunately for Cavendish and Pogačar, the UAE managed to get the race back on track for their stranded Slovenian.
“I wasn’t stressed because I knew it would come back,” Pogačar said after the stage.
“The conditions weren’t perfect to do a split, it was just a nervous moment but I wasn’t stressed,” said the rider. yellow jersey“It might be better if everyone was up front, but it happens, so don’t worry.”
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe and Visma-Lease a Bike tried to break the rubber band again 45 km from the line, in vain.
The pace and nervousness remained at 11 until Dijon.
A crash took out a handful of EF-Education EasyPost riders with 7km to go as the peloton prepared for its big bunch sprint.
The EF crashers were all able to get back on their bikes before Uno-X and Astana Qazaqstan started to push the turbos towards the final.
Coming up: an individual time trial to test the GC caliber
The standings are expected to see some changes on Friday with the first individual time trial of the race.
Starting from Nuits-Saint-Georges, this 25 km course is relatively non-technical, with only a slight slope halfway through. It will be a real test of strength, courage and the ability to suffer.
The Tour de France has few great time trialists like Josh Tarling and Filippo Ganna, and the stage will likely be won by one of the “Big 4” in the general classification.
Remco Evenepoel, who recently won the time trial at the Critérium du Daupiné, will be wearing his rainbow stripes and could be on course for his first Tour victory.
Time trials may not be the most popular stages on television, but they will provide a crucial insight into where the yellow jersey will end up in a few weeks’ time.
Is Vingegaard still the great time trial champion he was when he crushed Pogacar at the Tour last year? Stay tuned.