A few centimetres, more is sometimes not the difference between triumph and disappointment at the Tour de France. It was a few centimeters on the third stage that Phil Bauhaus was missing in order to fulfill the dream of every racer on his tour premiere: a stage win in the largest bicycle race in the world. Then on Tuesday, in the sprint of the fourth stage from Dax to Nogaro, Bauhaus came third. Of course second and third place in a field of this quality is a great achievement, but in cycling second place is only the first consolation prize. The Winner Takes It All.
And the winner, that was in both sprints, in Bayonne and in Nogaro, was the 25-year-old Belgian Jasper Philipsen from the Alpecin-Deceuninck team. For a second, Bauhaus said in Bayonne he believed he could win. But then Philipsen brought a touch more power to the road in the final. The 28-year-old from Bocholt, who drives for the Bahrain Victorious team, would have had reason to complain because Philipsen had come into contact with Wout van Aert in the last few meters.
