'We can almost close the fight' - Pedersen targets decisive blow in Tour de France green jersey contest
Mads Pedersen and Jasper Philipsen face a crucial showdown as the contest for the green jersey intensifies at the Tour de France.
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Stage 17’s 174.7km test from ChambĂ©ry to Voiron presents one of the final opportunities to make significant differences in the chase for the green jersey, with 50 points available at the finish and 25 at the intermediate sprint.Â
Although the stage is classified as flat, the route to Voiron is far from straightforward, featuring more than 2,000 metres of elevation gain, and thus could favour a breakaway if a strong group goes clear.
Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech), who trails Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) by 31 points in the standings, has reduced the Dane’s advantage in recent stages through intermediate sprint points.
The Belgian acknowledged the difficulty of controlling a stage of this nature. A breakaway staying clear would hurt Philipsen’s chances of closing the gap on Pedersen, with the opportunity to score major points being taken away.
"It will certainly be a tough stage. The peloton will decide how the race unfolds. I won't have much influence on that," Philipsen told Sporza.
"Of course, as a team, we'll try to shape the race to our liking. We just have to see how that might be possible."
Philipsen also responded to comments from Alpecin-Premier Tech team director Christoph Roodhooft, who suggested the Belgian was too friendly with Pedersen.
"I don't think much needs to be added. I think Mads and I simply respect each other's achievements, but it’s not as if we’re going out for coffee together," Philipsen said.
Pedersen, meanwhile, sees Stage 17 as a major opportunity to strengthen his grip on the green jersey and believes a strong result could put the battle beyond Philipsen’s reach.
"It's about scoring as many points as possible, but since we're riding to win the stage, it's a given," Pedersen told TV2 Sport.
The Dane believes his team is well positioned to support him on the stage, and he could take a major step towards securing the classification with a strong result on Wednesday.
"I'm getting the help I need. If things go the way we want, we can almost close the fight for the jersey today," Pedersen said.
"Of course, Skjel [Mattias Skjelmose] and Juan [Ayuso] are the last ones to be used, but if it's necessary, everyone is there."
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