Lidl-Trek’s Mads Pedersen scored the first success at the 2023 Tour de France for his newly-rechristened team with a sprint win in Limoges, on a day when Astana’s Mark Cavendish saw his dream of a record-breaking 35th stage victory fell by the wayside, possibly for good. Cavendish crashed in the final hour of the race and left in an ambulance with an apparent shoulder injury, and in tears as well as the disappointment of another year gone by, quite possibly his last as he announced his intent to retire earlier this year.
Pedersen won on a day that favored someone other than the bunch sprinters, with some undulations at the very end, one of which seemed to be just enough to throw Alpecin-Deceunink’s Jasper Philipsen off his game. The Belgian was seeking a fourth stage win to pad his points competition lead, but he closed late on Pedersen, and the former World Champion had enough speed to stay away from Philipsen by the better part of a bike length. Jumbo-Visma’s Wout Van Aert, who must have liked his chances today, couldn’t find his way to the front in time and finished third. No change in any of the other competitions.
Results:
- PEDERSEN Mads, Lidl – Trek, 4:12:26
- PHILIPSEN Jasper, Alpecin-Deceuninck
- VAN AERT Wout, Jumbo-Visma
- GROENEWEGEN Dylan, Team Jayco AlUla
- EEKHOFF Nils, Team dsm – firmenich
- COQUARD Bryan, Cofidis
- DE BUYST Jasper, Lotto Dstny
- TILLER Rasmus, Uno-X Pro Cycling Team
- STRONG Corbin, Israel – Premier Tech
- POGAČAR Tadej, UAE Team Emirates
Libourne – Limoges 200.7 km
Possible sprint but a hard road to get there.
Expected finish time: 17:05-17:35 CEST
Plate spinner of the Day : Mathieu van der Poel
Getting in a more select group to get something for himself.
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