Tour de France 2023 Stage 7 recap: Jasper Philipsen denies Mark Cavendish with third win

No idea what happened to Caleb Ewan or Fabio Jakobsen, who were nowhere near the top 10 in Bordeaux despite the work done by their Lotto Dstny and Soudal-QuickStep teams.

1. Jasper Philipsen
2. Mark Cavendish
3. Biniam Girmay
4. Luca Mozzato
5. Dylan Groenewegen
6. Jordi Meeus
7. Phil Bauhaus
8. Bryan Coquard
9. Alexander Kristoff
10. Mads Pedersen

Today's winner thanked his Alpecin-Deceuninck team for paving the way for his third win out there: "Without my team it wouldn’t be possible to get three stage wins – I’m very proud of them, I’m super happy. I still had Jonas and Mathieu on the final straight. I was always in a good wheel and I didn’t have to do a big effort before I launched and that’s how we won."

On the man he beat to second place, Mark Cavendish, Philipsen said: "He was really strong and I would also have loved to see him win – I think everyone would. For sure, he will keep on trying. He’s up there and in good condition, so it will be hard."

And on the green jersey that he has firmly on his shoulders: "From now on I think it’s a goal to try and take the green jersey to Paris. But we’re only one week in and it’s going to be a tough Tour, so let’s see."

The Belgian from Alpecin-Deceuninck can't do any wrong in these sprints. Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazastan) did everything right - and looked to have broken the record until the very last metres. Third place to Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Circus-Wanty).

Mark Cavendish looked to have timed his sprint to perfection but he perhaps just went a little early because Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) passes him with apparent ease to complete his hat-trick of wins.

The road is really narrow ahead of the flamme rouge and it's Alpecin and Bora who are leading the way - but Cavendish is moving on up.

Alpecin take it up on the front as the peloton crosses the Garonne and then sweeps onto the riverside road that will take them all the way to the finish. Cavendish has a lot of work to do becauuse he's well back at the moment.

The last man standing is swept up just ahead of the big corner ahead of the bridge crossing. Jumbo, Jayco and Alpecin on the front.

Van Aert may not be there but Jumbo have two men on the front alongside their man in yellow, Vingegaard. They will concede to the sprinters once they pass the 3km mark - which comes at 3.6km today because of a technical bridge crossing of the Garonne.

The Belgian wasn't lying when he said he wasn't going for the win today: he's sat up and is off the back. Peters, meanwhile, calls it a day, so it's just Pierre Latour out ahead trying to defy the peloton.

Another roundabout has the same result as Soudal lose positions by opting for the left lane while Jumbo, Ineos and Jayco are among those who got it right. It's almost over for our two French escapees.

It's not ideal for now for the record stage winner in his bid to swoop to win #35. The peloton just split around two different sides of a roundabout - and all those who opted for the left route lost many places. That included Cavendish and Astana. Ineos picked the right way - they're on the front for their GC men Rodriguez and Pidcock.

Soudal-QuickStep have taken it up - specifically, Tim Declercq, the breakaway killer. But it's not just the sprinters' teams in the mix - it's the GC teams vying to keep their leaders safe. It's a real battle with the advantage down to 30 seconds.

But a technical one, too: the finish straight is narrow, and there's a sweeping bend along the Garonne river which makes it hard to see the line until the last couple of hundred metres. There's also some potential hazards with a speed bump, raised kerbs and the barriers. Let's hope there are no incidents. Still 40 seconds for the two leaders.

Latour and Peters have been giving it their all but their advantage just dropped below the minute-mark so it's unlikely they will stay out much longer.

Peter Sagan (TotalEnergies) and Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X) are some throwback names to mull over... Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) has been consistent but probably not fast enough on a flat finish. Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) will prefer tomorrow's finish - ditto the likes of Girmay and Pedersen. Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) has been right there and has a great train. Bora have two cards in Jordi Meeus and Danny van Poppel. But I'm still going with one of Philipsen, Cavendish and Ewan - with Jakobsen probably still under par after his crash.

The dsm firmenich team of Aussie track specialist Sam Welsford have committed bodies to the chase in the hope of giving their man a stab at glory today. Welsford is yet to crack the top 10 although he went the wrong way around a roundabout ahead of the Nogaro finish a few days ago, which didn't exactly help his cause.