Tour de France sprint ends in chaos as three crashes leave ‘bodies everywhere’

Jasper Philipsen made it back-to-back wins with a superb sprint finish in Stage 4 of the Tour de France on Tuesday, literally leaving a pile of opponents in his wake.

The Belgian emerged unscathed following a hectic dash at the Circuit Paul Armagnac, which witnessed several crashes at the crescendo of an otherwise unremarkable stage. All the best drama was saved for last, however, as Manx marvel Mark Cavendish completed a top five on behalf of Astana Qazaqstan Team.

European champion Fabio Jakobsen [Soudal-QuickStep] was among those wiped out by the late string of painful-looking slams on the circuit track. And he was far from the only one as around 10 riders appeared to be taken out on bends and the final straight.

Jakobsen, 26, was later seen giving a thumbs up to the camera in a sign of good health, but numerous stars were at risk as a result of the pile-ups.

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"Carnage, it was," Cavendish – who is seeking a record-breaking 35th Tour stage victory – told Eurosport GCN after the race. "Every team would have had a plan for that final and I bet you there weren't any that went right, except maybe Jumbo [-Visma] getting their guys into the narrow roads.

"It was really a mixing point of riders in the final. I was constantly analysing who was there, who had team-mates, jumping from train to train. When I saw Mads [Pedersen] had [Jasper] Stuyven with him, that's the one, I thought Mads usually goes early, it's a headwind finish on a long straight, wide road so I thought I'd use that and they just didn't go."

What's the most chaotic cycling crash you've witnessed? Let us know in the comments section below.

Lotto Dstny rider Jacopo Guarnieri was also taken out in the melee, which left numerous riders cut up and with patches of their kit torn.

Alpecin–Deceuninck star Philipsen was unimpeded by the chaos as it unfolded further downfield, edging Caleb Ewan and third-place finisher Phil Bauhaus to a second win in as many days. The victor commented on his latest win as "really an easy stage," with many riders seemingly saving their reserves for the back-to-back mountain stages through the Pyrenees on Wednesday and Thursday.

Tuesday's incidents came less than 24 hours after Jakobsen complained about the Stage 3 mapping at the Tour de France. He suggested sprint stages shouldn't have chicane finishes, calling them an unnecessary danger for riders.

“I think we (the riders) and the Tour organisers need to look at the parcours and a finish like this," said the Dutchman. "We all saw in the past what that can do, when a rider goes from one side to the other. If you create a chicane, riders want to go the shortest way, from left to right. For sure it’s not the nicest finish of the Tour.”

Those afflicted by Tuesday's tumbles won't have long to dust themselves down before they're back in the saddle. Wednesday's Stage 5 route from Pau to Laruns is a 101-mile ride that starts the journey through the Pyrenees.

British rider Adam Yates retains the Yellow Jersey despite Philipsen's recent successes, with UAE Team Emirates colleague Tadej Pogacar closely behind in second place.

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