[interviewer] And ready to roll.
[Philipsen] I want to call myself the best sprinter in the world.
[dramatic tone]
But last year, my nickname was Jasper Disaster
because sometimes, I could be a disaster in my head.
[crowd cheering]
[commentator] Wout van Aert wins this stage.
But Philipsen celebrates. Thinks he's won it.
I think he didn't know that van Aert was up the road.
[tense music playing]
[Peetermans] He normally never folds his clothes.
It's always thrown on the floor.
[Philipsen] I want to show that I'm changed since last year.
[Peetermans groans] Oh, Jasper. This is Jasper Disaster in action!
[Roodhooft] I did not like the Jasper Disaster nickname.
I understand where it came from,
but it's not okay anymore.
We need Jasper Philipsen to win more than from time to time.
[Chainel] Jasper Philipsen, surprise winner of two stages last year,
has a new goal,
to win every stage that ends with a sprint.
[crowd cheering]
[Chainel] But this year, the competition is fiercer than ever.
I want to win as much as possible.
And when everybody is fighting to be in the right position,
then shit can happen.
- [rider] Oh! - [metal scraping]
When you're going into a race, going into battle,
you know risk's a part of it.
[rider 1] Oh!
[Philipsen] You have to use your shoulders, fight for it.
[rider 2] Oh!
[Philipsen] It's everybody for themselves.
It's impossible!
You'd better get used to it.
I want to go from Jasper Disaster to Jasper the Master.
[dramatic theme music playing]
[wind whistling]
[helicopter blades whirring]
[commentator] A beautiful stage today,
with 193 kilometres from Amorebieta-Etxano to Bayonne.
[van der Poel] Dipsy, Laa-Laa, Po…
- And there's another one, no? - Yes, Teletubbies…
It was Jasper's whole education.
- Tinky Winky! - Tinky Winky.
Okay, guys, is everybody willing to, uh, concentrate for five minutes?
Another day, another chance.
We go to Bayonne. Jasper, you do the sprint.
So, if you want, you can push the other sprinters a bit more, eh?
[interviewer] What kind of team is Alpecin-Deceuninck?
Personally, I don't see us as one of the big boys,
But we want to win and we have to win as much as possible.
Be confident in each other. That's the main, uh, thing.
[interviewer] And what made you and your brother think that you could do this?
We basically came to the conclusion that we thought we could do it better.
And if we think we know better,
we should also have the guts to try it ourselves
because the DNA of Alpecin-Deceuninck is not waiting.
Everybody has to go all out,
and come to the finish line completely done.
Attacking with a positively aggressive racing style,
creating opportunities for ourselves.
We always are in races with that mentality.
Hey!
The highly aggressive approach of team Alpecin-Deceuninck
helped to secure Mathieu van der Poel, their leader,
wins at both Milan-San Remo
and Paris-Roubaix.
[commentator] Mathieu van der Poel wins at Roubaix!
[Chainel] But to everyone's surprise, the Roodhooft brothers
have built their team around their sprinter, Jasper Philipsen,
keeping superstar Mathieu van der Poel as the ideal teammate.
[groans]
[groaning]
That's the important thing.
You got that cream?
Hey. Strong legs, huh?
It is an emotional sport,
but the emotion should not decide how we run the company.
There is still some margin to do better.
And, um, we know how we would like the race to develop,
and we try to force that.
Jasper has to pass the finish line first. And how he gets there,
or against who it is…
we do not really care.
[dramatic tone playing]
[birds chirping]
[door squeaking]
I'm Jasper Philipsen, riding for Alpecin-Deceuninck and I'm a sprinter.
The goal will be probably do as good as we did last year,
when I won in two stages.
[commentator] Jasper Philipsen wins on the Champs-Élysées.
Yeah!
So with, uh, Mathieu by my side.
Fuck, he's so strong.
If we can combine our strengths, we will have a good shot, I think.
For sure, I think everyone is, uh, jealous of such a good leadout.
[laughs]
- They should be afraid, no? - Yeah, I think so.
[Philipsen] It's my childhood dream, to win a green jersey.
The green jersey shows you're the best sprinter of that Tour de France.
You collect points by passing the finish line first or second or third.
You have to have the highest amount of points in the end of the Tour de France.
It's the Holy Grail of sprinting.
[interviewer] Does green look good on you?
Let's see. [laughs]
I will be a bit stronger than, uh, last year,
because I am a year older, so…
A year older. It almost sounds like you're a grandpa.
[both laughing]
You know what I mean.
I'm not getting grey yet like, uh, Mark Cavendish.
[both laughing]
[crowd applauding]
You see these guys, here? They've followed me my whole career.
My whole career.
[laughing]
I love you both so much.
Mario and Venice.
[laughing]
Mark Cavendish, he's the best sprinter in cycling history.
He has won two green jerseys and 34 Tour de France stage wins.
[commentator] Mark Cavendish is
the best sprinter we've seen in a long time.
Another stage victory!
[Chainel] He's come back to try to win a 35th stage,
which would make him the ultimate champion
of stage victories at the Tour de France.
I'm Mark Cavendish, and I'm a sprinter for Astana Qazaqstan Team.
I share the record. I have it, but… It's my last Tour de France.
[crowd cheering]
[Cavendish] I'm 38, old for a sprinter. There's no way I can be better than I am.
I think Mark Cavendish is not in his best shape ever.
He's a bit older, and I don't think he has the strongest team this year.
So that gives me confidence for a stage win.
First and foremost,
sprinting is not just about pushing on the pedals as hard as you can.
Especially at the end of a 200 kilometre stage.
I think, fundamentally, my experience is the main thing I have right now.
There are so many more sprinters now that I think have just got so much power.
But being a good sprinter
is not the same thing as being a good sprinter at the Tour de France.
And, uh, I think Jasper Philipsen has a will to win,
but mine's more than a will. [laughs] I don't know. It's a need.
It's really a need.
[exclaiming]
When I first met Peta, I said, "Aw, I'm a cyclist."
You just thought I was listing my hobbies.
- I didn't know the Tour de France existed. - No.
[laughs]
The romanticist in me
wants me to feel something about it being my last Tour de France.
Wants to be sad about it.
But I'm happy.
It's more important that I'm a father and husband than a bike rider.
You lot are hard bastards, you know? Compared to a lot of other sports.
But also you've had bad crashes in the past.
And it's really hard because still now, every single sprint there is, I feel sick.
I think considering I've done 14 Tour de France's,
I haven't actually crashed that much.
Why would you say that out loud a week before the Tour? Take that back!
We got any wood to touch?
Fuck's sake, everything's so modern in here!
Where's Daddy?
[Cavendish] I've got a one-year-old girl,
and I get to spend the time with her
that I didn't get with the elder ones, you know?
Go, Frey. Go, on your bum.
Like, for instance,
I can't now go on the trampoline with the kids,
'cause I'm five days before the Tour. So I want to be able to do that stuff.
If I win one more, I can finish the most incredible dream of a life I've had
as a professional sportsman,
happy.
Beep, beep, beep, beep! On your drops!
Just be home with my kids.
[dramatic music playing]
[indistinct announcements]
Okay. Stage three. The Tour really starts
when it comes to the hectic and the nervousness in the peloton.
We really have to stay concentrated during the… during the stage.
[van Aert] There's always a big rivalry with sprinters.
Everyone wants to beat, uh… wants to beat each other.
Jasper is really dangerous, and Mark has a lot of experience.
But, uh, I think I'm able to hang on longer when the course is tougher.
[fans whooping]
[van Aert] I think I'm also a bit better in positioning.
So I know what is necessary to win.
You need to be ready to take risks to do this job.
And, of course, everybody crashes now and then.
[dramatic music playing]
[van Aert] Like in 2019, when I hit the barriers on the TT.
I had rehab of more than six months.
Mentally, it's super hard.
In the beginning, it was scary to even take a corner.
[car horn honking]
[van Aert] But, um, that's professional bike racing,
and you don't have a choice, and you have to fight again in the bunch.
So, uh, I'm ready to win the biggest races.
I was super disappointed because I didn't win the first two stages.
So this time, motivations are really high.
[announcer] Ladies and gentlemen, all together.
[in Basque] Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five,
four, three, two, one… Go!
[crowd cheering]
[in English] And like we say in France…
[in French] They're off!
[crowd in French] Go! Go!
[horn blowing]
[in English] Sprinters don't have 21 chances to take a stage win
at the Tour de France.
Their days are the days with a flat finish,
when their physique can be a huge advantage.
For a sprinter,
there are six opportunities at this year's Tour de France.
So there's a lot on the line for each one of those sprint stages.
[commentator 1] The final three kilometres.
The Alpecin-Deceuninck team trying to get Jasper Philipsen into a good position.
Astana is in our back,
so they will try to drop Cavendish in Jasper's wheel.
Go, Mark. Yeah!
[commentator 1] Cavendish in 20th position.
The Alpecin-Deceuninck train
is very strong.
Look at the riders' faces.
[commentator 2] Van der Poel is in a good position,
with Philipsen on his wheel.
He's just biding his time.
[commentator 1] One kilometre to go.
I am the last leadout man for Jasper.
When I accelerate, Jasper has to keep on my wheel.
I don't have time to look behind me.
It's an all-out effort.
And I have to make sure that there's no other sprinters boxing him in.
Wout, it's up to you. Come on.
[commentator 2] Ooh, that was close.
[commentator 1] Van der Poel leading out Jasper Philipsen.
Wout van Aert in third position.
[intense music playing]
Van der Poel swings off.
[Philipsen] It's the final kilometre. You really have to focus on this line.
You cannot think too much.
If you overthink it, the moment is gone.
[van Aert] There is these two bends in the final 300 metres.
So I take the right side of the road.
Jasper boxed me in.
I started to hit spectators with my right shoulder.
I feel scared.
My wife and the pregnancy was on my mind.
[crowd cheering]
[music slows]
[van Aert] I don't want to risk my life to win a stage, you know?
[music resumes]
[commentator 1] Philipsen makes his mark.
Philipsen wins.
[muffled cheering of crowd]
[loud screams, laughing]
- [groaning] - Fuck off!
Fuck! Fuck. Fucking hell!
Thanks, man.
[Peetermans] Jasper!
Oh, darling.
[man on radio] This could be a disqualification for Jasper Philipsen
because Wout was pushed into the barriers.
[fans applauding]
[indistinct chatter]
Did you touch the advertising board?
No, it was the people hanging over them. They hit my hand.
- Really? - Yeah, yeah.
[suspenseful music playing]
Fuck.
- I don't know. Not sure. - What?
- [Philipsen] They're discussing. - Why, what's the matter?
I don't know. I don't think I did anything wrong.
I went on the inside of the bend, the quickest way.
- Hey. - [Peetermans] Hi.
- Have you won? - Don't know. It's hard to tell.
Look.
He does nothing wrong!
There are guidelines to abide by in a sprint,
notably the last 200 metres
when the sprinter can't veer to the right nor the left,
but has to keep within his line.
Some sprinters push the boundaries,
and then it's up to the race officials to decide whether they've kept within
or strayed outside the rules.
[sighs] I really don't want to see it.
[indistinct chatter]
If this is true then, uh, it's corrupt.
[in Dutch] This would be such a scandal.
[in English] I remember there was a bend to the finish line.
So I took the shortest line,
and, uh, it would be a bit dumb if you make a big turn.
You know how you can, um, professionally block the other riders.
And I got the win in the end.
[announcer] Ladies and gentlemen, there he is,
from the Alpecin-Deceuninck team, Jasper Philipsen!
- Oh, fuck me. - [man] Don't worry about it.
In my opinion, it was better decision to relegate him just to set an example.
It would have been good to… to do that straightaway.
- [interviewer] Where did you come? - Sixth, mate.
Sixth, so…
[melancholy music playing]
[interviewer] How are you feeling?
I'm a bit disappointed today. Yeah.
[indistinct questioning]
- Really quite disappointed. - [indistinct chatter continues]
- [interviewer] But there's other days. - Yeah, there's more days.
[chuckles] But there's also one less day, isn't there?
[Cavendish] In the last kilometre, I was kinda on my own.
That meant switching my mindset to reacting.
I wait, I wait…
Shit, Alpecin have come past me with van der Poel,
and Philipsen on his wheel.
Did they get it perfect? Absolutely.
HOTEL RECEPTION
Yo!
Hey, mate.
[man] Hey, shall we move the beds together?
- Ha! Okay. - They're filming, careful.
Yeah, sure.
It was exactly like you said.
Yes, I said to you that, uh…
it was fuck them or get fucked.
- [van der Poel giggles] - [laughs]
I knew that was going to happen.
A nice little leadout, huh?
Yeah. I went a little too close to the side, actually.
What?
I actually should also have sprinted towards the boardings like you said.
[Philipsen] Hey, man. Great hotel, this.
It's the nicest one we're gonna get.
Dropped off by a golf cart. On a lake.
[van der Poel] Yeah.
- [cork pops] - Ay!
Cheers!
[clapping]
I want to say thanks to the whole team, to the staff and the riders.
Hopefully, we can, uh, champagne one more time.
Cheers.
[all yelling victory chant]
Hey there, Wout. How you doing?
Uh…
[van Aert] Extremely disappointed.
Three days in and it could have been two out of three stage wins,
and it was not.
- [Cavendish] Hey, baby, you all right? - [Peta] Yeah.
The last thing I do every single day is call Peta and the kids.
How did your competition go?
I came first on beam.
Oh! [laughs]
Oh, bless you! Oh, well done, baby girl!
Yeah, it removes me from the situation as a bike rider anyway.
- Oh! I'm so proud of you. I love you. - Thank you.
- Love you. - [Peta] I love you. Bye, honey!
Bye!
Today, even though I wasn't winning or in the top three,
I was happy with how I sprinted.
My power numbers were good.
I think I got the fastest recorded time in that.
And we got a massive confidence boost that, yeah, we…
we belong here, in these sprints, you know.
[steady rhythmic music playing]
[commentator] The fourth stage of the Tour de France today,
from Dax to Nogaro, 181.8 kilometres.
The end of today's stage takes place on a racetrack.
And the track is wide, flat with a straight final stretch,
ideal for the most powerful riders.
This will see Jasper Philipsen and Mark Cavendish
up against Soudal Quick-Step's sprinter, Fabio Jakobsen, AKA The Hulk.
[air hissing]
[technician] There you go. Just like that.
So this one is back the way it was?
[technician] Almost.
- Right up to that little stripe. - Yeah.
[technician] See? Okay?
[interviewer] You have a hair here. It's a white hair.
[laughs]
I have a hairy nose, huh?
[interviewer] Do you realise that it's gonna be on Netflix?
[crew laughing]
Ah, it's part of me, huh?
[crew laughs]
I'm Fabio Jakobsen, professional bike rider for Soudal Quick-Step Team.
I'm a sprinter, so the only thing I can do is aim for stages.
And then maybe, if I have enough points,
see if I can aim for green.
[announcer] Soudal Quick-Step!
[crowd cheering]
[Jakobsen] Last year, Champs-Élysées was of course a big goal…
but I lost the chance to sprint for the win.
So this year, we're eager to get back and compete again for stages.
Since the last Tour de France, I became European champion.
I'm now 26, and below 30 years,
you are probably the fastest sprinter you can be.
- [announcer] Fabio Jakobsen! - [crowd cheers]
[Jakobsen] I'm entering my prime in cycling
so I'd like to show that I can be the fastest of the bunch.
Obviously, a different sort of finish today.
Will Fabio Jakobsen's power suit today's finale?
I hope, you know? Sometimes he waits a little bit long.
In the Tour de France, there's no mercy.
No mercy at all. If you shoot, it has to be…
[clicks tongue]
I'm Patrick Lefevere.
I'm the CEO of the Soudal Quick-Step World Tour team.
We are the Wolfpack.
We are the best winning team all together.
More than 40 stages in the Tour.
We have built the team around Fabio Jakobsen.
So, of course, he has to win a stage in the Tour de France.
It's the biggest race in the world,
so everybody should kill somebody to win, uh, a stage.
[tense music playing]
Jasper Philipsen is one of the fastest sprinters out there.
He's impulsive.
So I do always pay very close attention to him, because it could go wrong one day.
It is a dangerous sport and we should not make it more dangerous
by bumping into each other and deviating from the line.
When I had the crash, everybody could see how badly that can go wrong.
[crowd gasping]
[Alaphilippe] We were all scared that day.
It really was an emotion I don't want to have again.
So when we saw him come back and win races,
he demonstrated to the Tour community
his strength.
[helicopter blades whirring]
[tense rhythmic music playing]
[crowd cheering]
[commentator] Peloton is all together on stage four.
No attacks, no breakaways as we wait for the sprinters to get ready.
[commentator] Ten kilometres to go.
The Soudal Quick-Step team at the front of the peloton
with their sprinter, Fabio Jakobsen.
Many people have him down as today's winner.
[Jakobsen] I feel powerful, fast, and determined.
When I sprint, it's always 100% to fight for the win.
[commentator] Three kilometres to go.
[chains clicking]
[commentator] The leadout riders looking to see where their sprinters are.
Come on, lad!
[commentator] Michael Morkov, probably the best leadout man in the world,
is in position in front of Fabio Jakobsen.
He can't get boxed in.
Go, go, go!
[commentator] Cavendish gives a bit of elbow.
[tense music playing]
Fabio Jakobsen and Jasper Philipsen battling it out for the best position.
[riders yell]
[commentator] A crash! Someone's down in the peloton!
It's Jakobsen. Fabio Jakobsen is down.
No! Oh, Fabio.
Oh, for God's sake. That's shit. Come on!
He hit him in the rear wheel!
[commentator] At 63 kilometres an hour, Jakobsen had a serious fall.
But what happened? Was he nudged?
[Jakobsen] Jasper bumped into me.
He did it, and then I cannot stay on the bike.
I went down so fast. It's like a reflex you have.
And you try to brace yourself for the impact,
but it's not really something you think about logically.
You just go down and you roll, and you know it's bad.
[commentator] The sprint continues.
Cavendish on the left.
1,300 metres to go!
It's the home stretch now.
And another crash!
It's chaos in the peloton.
[dramatic music playing]
Mathieu van der Poel edges forward with Jasper Philipsen on his wheel!
Jasper Philipsen makes his move.
[dull thuds]
[commentator] And another crash on the left!
Jasper Philipsen is going for it now.
[music crescendos]
[commentator] Jasper Philipsen wins!
Another stage victory in the Tour de France!
And behind him, it's absolute carnage.
[soft music playing]
Impressive. Fuck! You're crazy.
[commentator] Wout van Aert finishes 9th. Cavendish takes fifth place.
How many more chances does he have left?
I think for every team, it just became chaos in the final,
the corners tightened and tightened.
It was just a mixing pot of riders. Just carnage, it was. Yeah.
All right, let's assess the situation.
I was feeling pretty good and said, "Fabio, come on, I'm on my own."
He came off after he followed me and then…
So I stayed there, in the wheel. Uh…
I said in the radio if I could have another bike because I wanted to finish.
But I am so angry because Jasper is chaotic in the way that he moves.
[grunts]
And it hurts… a lot.
So of course, I'm disappointed and in pain.
[scattered applause]
It's shit.
It's easy to say, uh, that I was specifically the… the cause of his crash.
[gear grinding]
[Philipsen] But, yeah, accidents happen in… in races,
and definitely in bunch sprints.
It's a tough sport.
[man] God, guys, what a whack.
- I'm glad I'm still here with you. - [man] So are we, Fabio.
Thanks, guys.
[Lefevere] Broken bike?
Have a look. It's in two.
Everybody knows that a lot of things are going on in a sprint,
but if they can kill you, they're going to kill you.
And that's what happens.
Yo!
- Well, you stay safe? - Yes, luckily.
- It was a bit crazy in the final… - [Philipsen] Yeah.
- Green jersey? - I think so.
[rhythmic propulsive music playing]
[crowd applauding]
[music fades]
[Jakobsen] Some riders just count victories.
But I think the way you win is also important.
Of course, he was trying to follow his teammate van der Poel,
but that doesn't mean that you can really bump into someone else.
Yeah, yeah.
[Philipsen] Were there other crashes as well?
[driver] Yeah, at the finish.
[Philipsen] Is it clear in the images?
- Show him. - Take a look. Here. There you are.
…the fact that sprinting remains highly dangerous.
Controversy still rages around incidents in the fourth stage.
Race officials have released a statement ruling that Mathieu van der Poel
has been relegated to last place
and also been issued a fine for a push he gave to Biniam Girmay.
Look, there he goes.
How does he do that?
Girmay's on the side.
[tense music playing]
[Philipsen] I didn't do anything wrong.
In the end, Mathieu got relegated.
But it's no problem if you can win a Tour de France stage with that.
So, okay, we take it.
Did it occur to you at all during that sprint that it could lead to this?
I saw an opening, and I just had to go for it for Jasper.
Without Van der Poel would Philipsen have won it?
Quite possibly, quite probably.
But do I think van der Poel made it 100% that he'd win?
100%.
[skin slapping]
To follow Mathieu's wheel was
not easy, I think.
My legs, uh…
said no.
It felt like pure concrete in my legs.
[chuckles]
There he is. You have a fine, Mathieu? You're…
I'm fine.
You're fine or you have a fine?
[laughs]
Both.
[all laughing]
[interviewer] You got fined
and can you tell us how much that fine was?
I have no idea. [laughs]
No, I have no idea. I think the team paid a fine, but…
No, I didn't, uh, care too much about it, no.
We pay it as a team
most of the time.
I never like it, to get a fine.
Not in traffic, not in the race,
I never like it.
But you accept it sometimes.
Okay, Mathieu did something wrong.
But it was important for us to win.
And that's it.
[Jakobsen] The doc says nothing broken, nothing severely damaged.
But we cannot really see after the stage. Everything hurts.
You don't know how quickly the body will recover from this.
We just have to wait. If I can continue, I continue.
But I don't know now, and we will see tomorrow.
Jasper and team, I would like to thank you all for this nice day.
And I would kindly ask you not to continue at this level,
because we will be bankrupt, uh, after this Tour de France. Cheers!
[team yelling victory chant]
We've been successful again,
but it's difficult to… to expect victories.
It's easy to expect chances,
and I strongly believe in the mathematics behind it.
And if we continue creating opportunities, we will always end up winning.
If others think we win too much,
it's up to them to work better and make sure they beat us more often.
This is the video. 5K to go. You're only going to have two lanes, yeah?
If you have a few guys left, you could come with some speed out of there.
[Cavendish] Tomorrow is Bordeaux.
So Mark Renshaw had done a full recon of the final 50 kilometres of the stage.
Gets a bit tight here.
You loop down in here, and I reckon the 113.
Last time the tour was in Bordeaux, I won there. 2010.
[commentator in French] Cavendish puts up a fight! Yes, Cavendish is ahead!
[in English] It's a prestigious stage for a sprinter.
One that you want to put your name next to,
and I know that finish in Bordeaux.
I don't just know that.
I know that the finish suits me.
This race is the best opportunity to win a 35th Tour de France stage,
that's for sure.
[rhythmic music playing]
[jet engines roaring]
Okay, guys, we go for the victory today.
Fabio, you recovered already a bit.
Maybe not 100%, but the mind will take over.
No excuses.
You will fight like hell today. Also guys, help to control Alpecin.
Put them in the bin there.
[laughing] Yeah!
Today, then, all day long
through the forest.
But watch out that, uh, tricky roundabout at eight.
It's an ideal place for a Jumbo move.
Stay concentrated.
Their most critical point of the day will be the run-in to the finish.
That's where we need to be in front, huh?
Yeah.
The key goal today is about being alongside Cav.
You lay it all on the line.
[indistinct crowd chatter]
It's so hot. Baby, you not feeling well in your tummy?
It's awful.
Did you go to the toilet then?
Mathieu's regretting sharing with me.
[laughing] Yeah, you always hate sharing hotel rooms.
- Yeah. - I know you.
- See you in a bit. - I love you.
Love you too.
Be careful, darling.
[crowd cheering]
[announcer in French] They're off!
[commentator] This is the seventh stage of the Tour de France,
169.9 kilometres.
The riders are setting off from Landes and finishing in Bordeaux.
[rhythmic synth music playing]
[Roche] This is the thing, isn't it? With those sprinter stages.
For a long time of the day, we might get a little bit annoyed.
Nothing really happens.
[music intensifies]
[commentator] Turn on, get ready. Inside the final kilometres to go.
This is Astana, going towards the front.
They're sharing the pacemaking with the Alpecin-Deceuninck team.
We might witness a huge moment in cycling history this afternoon.
Here comes the Astana team with Mark Cavendish.
They're going neck and neck during this excellent sprint in Bordeaux.
[cheering]
[commentator] Cavendish is boxed in.
And van der Poel once again leads out Jasper Philipsen,
possibly all the way to the finish line.
Very good, guys. Very good.
[commentator] We're at 58 kilometres an hour.
Cees, go, man!
Mark Cavendish is coming back.
Mark Cavendish is pulling ahead.
Look there on the right side of the road! Mark Cavendish!
[all yelling]
[commentator] Mark Cavendish, going it alone!
[Cavendish] I had momentum. I gained 10, 20 positions.
That's it. I'm gonna win it.
[Philipsen] I saw Mark Cavendish going up early.
So I hop on his wheel.
[Cavendish] And then I felt Jasper.
He moved over to me.
[Philipsen] As a sprinter, you have to feel the line.
Already heart rate 190.
But you need to still keep pushing.
[Cavendish] Once that happened, nothing I could do. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
[crowd cheering loudly]
[commentator] Another victory for Philipsen here in Bordeaux.
- Yeah! [laughs] - Whoo!
He got Cavendish! He got Cavendish!
Nice, guys! Nice!
[laughs]
[overlapping cheering]
- Second. - Fuck!
[commentator] A dominant Philipsen wins against Mark Cavendish,
depriving him of a historic win here in Bordeaux.
[sighing]
The gear, that's not staying in the 11.
No.
Imagine trying to sprint with your gear going 12-11, 12-11, 12-11.
In the last kilometre, I couldn't change the gears we used.
It was going 11-12, 11-12! What can you do there?
- I was limited! - [man] You just have to--
I just have to… [grunts]
…like this!
[man] I'm sorry.
That's never happened to me before.
I did a race-winning sprint.
It was stuff out of my control, really.
[fan] Nice going, Cav.
[applause]
[fan] Cav! You're a legend! An absolute legend!
[applause]
[melancholy music playing]
[interviewer] Would you have won if that hadn't happened?
[Cavendish] I truly believe I would have.
It's really difficult because, you know, there's not too many more opportunities.
Um…
So that one hurts.
[commentator] Hold on, breaking news.
There is controversy around the sprint. Philipsen's win is being contested.
What do I think of that sprint of, er, Philipsen's that we saw earlier today?
It seems we have to wait for a guy to fly over the barriers
and risk his life before a rider faces sanctions.
And it shouldn't ever be that way.
[Chainel] Another stage and another complaint against Philipsen.
He's been accused of swerving during the final 200 metres.
This could see him disqualified
and that will mean that Mark Cavendish takes the stage.
[van Aert] In my opinion, because there was no relegation in stage three,
I had the feeling that in other sprints, we saw more crazy stuff.
And, uh, yeah, when people start to have the feeling that, um…
yeah, there's more things allowed, um…
they will just do it.
Every team has his style of his habits. We have ours.
[interviewer] What do you think other teams think of Alpecin-Deceuninck?
I really do not care what they think.
Pfft.
[announcer] It's Jasper Philipsen!
[Roodhooft]The winner is always right, they say, so
there's nothing much to add.
[bird chirping]
I never would have imagined that.
I'm just super glad that, uh,
the Tour so far went great for us as a team.
Everything what we hoped for, um, we achieved.
The Cav fans, which wanted to see him take his 35th stage win,
are not super happy.
[sighing]
"A sloppy and dangerous rider."
"Thumbs down."
Um…
"Stop cheating," one guy says.
[chuckles] Uh…
You see this in big…
[laughs]
This is actually quite nicely done, so…
Congrats to him.
[chuckles]
You always have some haters.
For sure, it gets through you.
But I don't, uh, get distracted from it.
[indistinct happy chatter]
We're used to opening these because we win a lot.
It's becoming a habit.
[van Der Poel] It's, uh, a pity they always focus on negative things.
Well, he shows he's the fastest three times in a row in the sprints.
[Philipsen] You have to go on the limit.
That's just how sprinting works.
Otherwise, you have to stay home.
We're not here to make friends with other teams, that's for sure.
It's three now. It's a lot.
Eight is the most in the history,
so I think it should also be a motivation to try to make something really special,
and that means more than three.
- [team laugh] - Congratulations.
We want to win all the sprint stages with Jasper
because that's… that's basically why we're in Tour de France.
But not everybody wants us or Jasper Philipsen to win.
[gentle music playing]
[Philip] Everybody would love to see Mark Cavendish winning his 35th.
But that's the main thing, uh, about cycling. Only one can win.
[Cavendish] I am disappointed, but…
the win is coming.
It should have happened today,
but the win, not a doubt, it is coming.
[commentator 1] Good afternoon, Anthony, everybody.
Well, today is what we call a transition day.
Chance, a bit, for the sprinters to kind of take it easy,
be in the back of the peloton, catch up with your mates from, uh, previous days.
[Cavendish] I decided to stay quite far back.
To stay out of any trouble. Just get to the finish.
[crowd cheering]
[commentator 1] There's been an extremely long first week for the sprinters.
[commentator 2] Time to recuperate just a little bit.
[Cavendish] We were sitting back.
As it happened, there was a sway in the peloton,
and then, touch of shoulders, a bit of bump, and…
[rider] Hey! Hey!
[commentator] Sprinters crash. Big, big crash on the left-hand side.
Cavendish is down.
I just got flicked over my handlebars. I landed on my head.
[ambulance siren wailing]
[camera shutters clicking]
And a big grimace here from the Manx Missile.
This is not good news.
[Cavendish] As soon as I tried sitting up, I saw the collarbone,
the fact that it was sticking out, I knew that it was displaced, so…
I knew that was it then. Yeah.
[groans]
[commentator 2] It's pretty dramatic for the man who, at 38,
still held the hope of achieving his 35th stage win.
It's the end of a dream.
[Cavendish] I never had a broken collarbone.
In my whole career, I've never had a broken collarbone.
I wasn't fighting. I wasn't playing around.
Is this how my career ends?
Fuck!
You don't want to wish that, uh, anybody crashes.
But, of course, crashes happen
and sometimes it's you, sometimes it's your opponent.
And yeah, then, take advantage of this when it happens.
So, for sure, I'm not complaining.
The Tour is not over yet, so I'm also really hungry.
Still motivated to make it even a better one.
This year, I want to win six stages.
Then I think I can call myself the best sprinter in the world.
[Lefevere] During ten years, when you have so much winning as we do.
So coming from this highness,
to not winning is for us really a cold shower.
A really cold shower.
I'm paid to make a winning team.
[Jakobsen] I'm actually, uh, a bit sad.
You know, you train for months and then,
yeah, one crash…
At the moment, I don't have the legs to…
to even sprint.
There's so much energy going into the wounds.
And, uh, we just have to wait.
And if it's too much pain, I have to consider if it's wise to keep going.
Maybe I have to quit.
I don't think so.
This team was really made in function of Fabio,
to have one of the best leadouts.
When you're used to winning four or five stages in a Tour,
you can't go home without victory.
We want this first place again.
So Fabio can't give up.
I don't have a plan B.
[intense music playing]
[commentator 1] Fabio Jakobsen suffering. Seeping wounds of the day before.
The legs and the body only gets worse and worse.
I can't believe this.
[commentator 2] Philipsen really trying to block the road.
Come on, Philipsen, you stupid shit.
Impossible! They rode behind the motorcycle!
This has been the worst start to the Tour de France we've ever had.
[commentator 1] Pidcock is distanced.
[Cummings] Tom's far away from what we had hoped.
- What should we do? - [Pidcock] Can you turn the cameras off?
[tense rhythmic music playing]