Belgian cyclist Jasper Philipsen claimed victory in a sprint finish on stage 16 of the Tour de France in Nimes on Tuesday, while his main rival for the green sprint points jersey, Biniam Girmay, stumbled in the final dash. Current leader Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates maintains a significant lead of 3 minutes and 9 seconds over defending champion Jonas Vingegaard, with Remco Evenepoel holding third place at 5 minutes and 19 seconds behind. Both Philipsen, last year's green jersey winner, and Girmay have secured three stage wins each; however, Girmay currently leads in the green jersey rankings with 376 points to Philipsen's 344. Girmay unfortunately fell near a roundabout less than 2 kilometers from the finish, alongside two Education First riders, preventing him from competing in the final sprint. Despite a bleeding elbow, the 24-year-old managed to remount and finish the race with a few teammates, though visibly shaken.
Philipsen, who reached speeds over 70kph (43mph) as he crossed the finish line, expressed sympathy for Girmay's fall and hopes he can continue in the race. Philipsen, supported by world champion Mathieu van der Poel, celebrated his third victory in the Tour de France, a feat he described as incredible. Van der Poel is considered a top contender for the Olympic Games road race in Paris in two weeks. Due to the Olympics, this year's Tour de France will conclude in Nice on Sunday, omitting the traditional final sprint down the Champs Elysees. Pogacar expressed his regret for the sprinters, acknowledging the lack of motivation this change might bring, but hopes they will complete the race alongside the other competitors. Germany's Phil Bauhaus finished second, and Norway's Alexander Kristoff came in third, with Kristoff's team, Uno-X, narrowly avoiding a crash at a roundabout late in the race.
Evenepoel, 24, leads the white jersey standings for the best young rider by over six minutes ahead of Carlos Rodriguez from Ineos. Race organizers extended the time cut on Sunday to allow Mark Cavendish and other struggling riders to continue in the race and participate in Tuesday's flat stage, which saw 152 survivors from the first 15 stages start. Tuesday's stage marked the last of the sprint stages, with mountainous terrain ahead. The race departed from the Gruissan salt basin under temperatures reaching 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit), with the peloton navigating through the Aude region's vineyards, speeds varying with the wind direction.
