Defeated by Merlier, but these sprinters especially feel sorry for Philipsen: "I almost stopped pedaling"

The Belgian rider from Soudal Quick-Step crashed hard in the intermediate sprint and was forced to leave the Tour. “First of all, I want to say that I feel very sorry for Jasper (Philipsen, ed.) and the other guys who crashed today,” Milan said to the organization.

“I can't be super happy with second place. It's obviously a great result, and I'm happy with the green jersey we've won,” continued the new leader in the points classification. “I didn't manage to sprint for the win in the first stage, but I kept collecting points in the intermediate sprints with the points classification in mind. Still, I had my sights set on the stage win today, so I can only be partially satisfied.”

Ultimately, Milan was defeated by a slight margin. “I was close to victory, and I will continue to strive for it. I missed fighting for the win.” The Lidl-Trek Italian team also noted that the finale was very chaotic. "I did my best in the sprint. Maybe I should have waited a little longer, given the headwind... But in the end, it went the way it went, and I can only congratulate Tim (Merlier, ed.) on his victory. I'm happy with my form, and I'll keep fighting for more."

Girmay eventually finished sixth, but the Intermarché-Wanty rider was mainly happy that he hadn't crashed. "Thank God. I'm super happy. I feel safe. Every time I hear a crash behind me, my heart rate goes up to 300. I feel really sorry for the guys who crashed, including Philipsen. It's not nice to see someone crash, especially at high speed," he told Cyclism'Actu.

“I thought I'd be happy if I finished safely,” continued the fast man from Eritrea. "At one point, I almost wanted to stop pedaling because it was so hard. I don't even know what happened in the intermediate sprint. I saw Philipsen hit Coquard right in front of me, and when I saw him go down, I really felt sorry for him. He's an incredible rider, and to see him crash and withdraw from the Tour de France... I really feel sorry for him,“ said Girmay.

Bauhaus ultimately finished in third place in Dunkirk. The German rider from Bahrain Victorious was very satisfied after the race. “I'm pleased with everyone, especially after the first stage, when we were all perhaps a little disappointed. We got everything back on track yesterday and today, and I think this is a great result for us,” he said in a press release.

“I have to be honest and say that I couldn't do anything against Milan and Merlier. I kept believing despite the headwind, and I gave it my all. I think everyone is very satisfied, including me,” Bauhaus continued. Amazingly, the fast German was largely unaffected by the crashes. “To be honest, I didn't see a single crash, which shows how well I was positioned compared to the other riders.”