Philipsen sprints to stage 17 win

Philipsen sprints to stage 17 winImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Philipsen could now win the second green jersey of his careerByMatt WarwickBBC Sport Senior JournalistPublished13 minutes agoBelgium's Jasper Philipsen won stage 17 of the Tour de France following a bunch sprint.The Alpecin-Premier Tech rider powered over the line with a good gap over his rivals to win his first stage in what had been a frustrating three-week race.The 28-year-old won the prestigious green points jersey in 2023, but had struggled in this race to catch compatriot Tim Merlier in the final phases of sprints.After stage seven, he was seen on social media tossing his bike in frustration after his illustrious team-mate, the powerhouse classics legend Mathieu van der Poel had mis-timed his lead-out and Philipsen became blocked in.But after a hilly start on a warm day on the 174.7km stage from Chambery to Voiron near the Alps, Philipsen enjoyed a powerful lead-out from Van der Poel and was able to sustain his power all the way to the line.The stage, which flattened in the latter stages to suit the sprinters, could have worked out differently as several riders attempted to break away from the peloton. More than 40 riders eventually got away, including current green jersey wearer Mads Pedersen of Lidl-Trek and British rider Josh Tarling of Netcompany Ineos Cycling plus Lewis Askey of Spain's 2010 World Cup winner Andres Iniesta's NSN Cycling.Denmark's Pedersen eventually finished eighth, but retained the green jersey by only seven points in the standings over Philipsen in second - setting up an exciting finale in Paris.It was the sprinters' last chance to battle on the flat until the race's final stage in the French capital on Sunday, which has changed to incorporate a short lapped climb over Montmartre."Such a roller-coaster of emotions on this Tour," said a tearful Philipsen after the stage. "The first 12 stages were just horrible - I couldn...