<\/p>\n After yesterday, Pedersen had a 31-point lead in the points classification, and he rode aggressively all day, being named the most combative rider of the day for his dogged refusal not to be part of any group that tried to escape and extending his lead at the intermediate sprint.<\/p>\n Latest Videos From But after Philipsen<\/a> was launched into the finish straight by Mathieu van der Poel<\/a>, to take a memorable victory in Voiron and bagging 50 points in the process, the gap was slashed to seven.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a proper s**t day,\u201d Pedersen said at the finish. \u201cSuper disappointed I didn\u2019t get the job done. It\u2019s a big loss of points. But it is what it is, we just have to deal with the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n The mood at the Lidl<\/a> Trek bus was equally downbeat. “It\u2019s tight,” conceded Kim Andersen, the team’s sports director, when Cycling Weekly caught up with him. “He has to pick up some points. Of course, he was hoping for more, but it is like it is. It was a good fight. He’s still in front, so…<\/p>\n “I think we didn’t calculate that others would help them out, because if it was just Philipsen it would have been okay, just Alpecin in it, things would have been okay,” he continued. “But now it gets a bit tight.”<\/p>\n Philipsen, buoyed though he might be by the result, cannily played down his chances of taking the green jersey. “It’ll be very hard,” he said in the press conference after the stage. “He [Pedersen] also took 25 points in the intermediate today. He was in front, so he made it very hard.<\/p>\n “The next three days are very tough with the intermediate, the chance I will not be there is pretty high. Pedersen is climbing well so he can gain some points again. We will see where we are in Paris on Sunday, and we’ll see what’s possible.”<\/p>\n What is for sure, is that in a race that some people have said lacks unpredictability and drama, due to the undeniable dominance of Tadej Poga\u010dar<\/a> (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), the story of who takes home the green jersey this year still promises a few twists.<\/p>\n Jasper Philipsen achieved atonement for his finish-line loss to Ben Turner here in Voiron during the 2025 Vuelta Espana<\/a>, but will it be enough to propel him to victory in the race for the green jersey in the 2026 Tour de France? We may have to wait until the final page and the much-anticipated Parisian stage<\/a> to find out.<\/p>\n Explore More<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/4av7rcsjyn1645111080.svg\")
<\/p>\n
\nMads Pedersen
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\nJasper Philipsen
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