Dylan Groenewegen and Fabio Jakobsen missed the victory in the closing Tour de France stage on Sunday evening. The former finished second behind the convincing winner Jasper Philipsen, but to his great disappointment, Jakobsen was unable to even join the sprint.
“I took the lead too early,” Groenewegen said at the NOS. “I’m disappointed about that. But if you see where our team comes from, then after seven months I can be satisfied,” said the Team BikeExchange sprinter, who triumphed three weeks ago in the third stage.
Jakobsen could not interfere with the sprint at all and crossed the line in Paris in thirteenth place. “My chain came off,” he lamented. “I’m a sprinter, but I didn’t sprint here in Paris. That’s really bad luck.”
The Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl rider triumphed in the second stage, but then remained dry. “I won a stage here. But I’ve actually only had three chances in this Tour. Then it’s very annoying if you don’t get a chance here. It will take me a while to process this. There are worse things, but I’m very sad about this.”
Dylan Groenewegen clearly fell short compared to Jasper Philipsen.
Dylan Groenewegen clearly fell short compared to Jasper Philipsen.
Photo: Getty Images
Victory in Paris icing on cake for Philipsen
For Philipsen, his triumph fulfilled a great wish. “Winning here is every sprinter’s dream,” he said. “I’m super proud and grateful.”
The Belgian, who had already triumphed in the fifteenth stage, put the competition behind by bicycle lengths. “It was ideal for me. I was in a good position behind Groenewegen, who took the lead early. I was able to stay in his wheel for a long time. It will take some time to realize this. This is the icing on the cake. no better.”
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