Wout van Aert: ‘Hard to say’ whether Philipsen's Tour de France sprint was fair

AlpecinDeceunincks Belgian rider Jasper Philipsen celebrates as he cycles ahead of JumboVismas Belgian rider Wout Van Aert R to the finish line to win the 3rd stage of the 110th edition of the Tour de France cycling race 1935 km between AmorebietaEtxano in Northern Spain and Bayonne in southwestern France on July 3 2023 Photo by AnneChristine POUJOULAT AFP Photo by ANNECHRISTINE POUJOULATAFP via Getty Images
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The Tour de France re-entered France with Monday's third stage and with it came the first chance for the sprinters to do what they do best, but once again Wout van Aert missed out on the chance to take his 10th career stage win.

After narrowly missing out to late escapee Victor Lafay in San Sébastián, the Belgian ended up in fifth place in Bayonne, having been squeezed between stage winner Jasper Philipsen and the barriers on the uphill run to the line.

Dani Ostanek
Senior News Writer

Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, joining in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Before joining the team, they had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly and Rouleur.

Dani has reported from the world's top races, including the Tour de France, Road World Championships, and the spring Classics. They have interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars, including Mathieu van der Poel, Demi Vollering, and Remco Evenepoel. Their favourite races are the Giro d'Italia, Strade Bianche and Paris-Roubaix.

Season highlights from the 2024 season include reporting from Paris-Roubaix –  'Unless I'm in an ambulance, I'm finishing this race' – Cyrus Monk, the last man home at Paris-Roubaix – and the Tour de France – 'Disbelief', gratitude, and family – Mark Cavendish celebrates a record-breaking Tour de France sprint win.