The team of Mathieu van der Poel suffered a major blow in the Tour de France on Monday. Jasper Philipsen, the winner of the opening stage, dropped out after a heavy fall and broke his right collarbone and at least one rib.
Philipsen, the wearer of the green points jersey, was knocked off his bike 60 kilometers from the finish during the intermediate sprint by the Frenchman Bryan Coquard. The latter lost control of his handlebars after a collision with the Belgian Laurenz Rex.
Philipsen then fell on his shoulder at high speed. Images showed the Belgian sitting in the berm with a significant graze on his back. Doctors from the Tour organization took care of the sprinter, but it soon became clear that he could no longer continue.
“He has a displaced fracture of the right collarbone and at least one rib broken, possibly two,” his team Alpecin-Deceuninck announced after the stage. “Jasper will be transferred to the hospital in Herentals as soon as possible, where he will undergo surgery.”
Philipsen’s abandonment is a drama for Alpecin-Deceuninck after two euphoric days in the Tour. The Belgian team won the opening stage on Saturday with Philipsen, who also took the first yellow jersey. A day later, Van der Poel triumphed. He is the leader in the general classification after three stages.
Philipsen third dropout in Tour
Alpecin-Deceuninck wanted to use Philipsen to achieve new successes in the mass sprint in this Tour. Last year he was the best three times in the biggest cycling race in the world. Now the team only has Kaden Groves as a trump card for the sprint stages. Van der Poel is naturally the frontrunner in the hilly stages.
Philipsen is the third dropout in this Tour de France. In the opening stage, time trial specialists Filippo Ganna and Stefan Bissegger already had to give up after a fall. The opening days in the Tour are usually quite hectic.
The third stage in the Tour de France was won by the Belgian Tim Merlier in a chaotic final phase full of crashes. In the last meters, Coquard crashed hard. The Dutchman Cees Bol also fell.
Due to Philipsen’s abandonment, Jonathan Milan is the new green jersey wearer. Milan finished second in the third stage and has four more points than number two Biniam Girmay. Stage winner Merlier is number three.