Jasper Philipsen Takes Sprint Lead but Finishes Second in Stage 6

**Jasper Philipsen** claimed the top points at the Cormatin intermediate sprint on 7 July 2024, yet he was beaten by Dylan Groenewegen in a photo‑finish for the Stage 6 victory in Dijon, settling for second place.

The sixth stage of the 2024 Tour de France started from Mâcon and covered 163.5 km of rolling terrain across Saône‑et‑Loire and Côte‑d’Or. Early on, the peloton stayed together, with Tadej Pogačar in yellow and a host of favourites near the front. The only climb, the Category 4 Col du Bois Clair, was taken by Jonas Abrahamsen, who stretched the lead to 1′15″ before the sprint section.

At the intermediate sprint 31 km into the race, Philipsen out‑sprinted Biniam Girmay and Mads Pedersen to collect the maximum points, reinforcing his lead in the points classification. Later, as the race approached Dijon, the sprint train of Alexander Kristoff’s Uno‑X team tried to set up a fast finish, but Groenewegen’s Jayco‑AlUla squad surged ahead. In the final meters, Groenewegen crossed the line first, with Philipsen a fraction behind, repeating his runner‑up finish from the previous day.

Securing the intermediate sprint points keeps Philipsen firmly in contention for the green jersey, even without a stage win. The result also shows his consistency in the high‑speed finishes that define the Tour’s flat stages. While Groenewegen added a historic Dutch win-the first since Léon van Bon in 2000-Philipsen’s ability to stay at the front demonstrates his sprinting pedigree and his team’s tactical acumen.

The next stage heads into more undulating terrain, offering another chance for Philipsen to add to his points tally. His team, Alpecin‑Deceuninck, will likely aim to protect him through any crosswinds and position him for the final sprint. If he can convert his intermediate dominance into a stage victory, the green jersey battle could tilt decisively in his favor.