An interim result to be proud of: German Tour de France debutant Phil Bauhaus raced onto the podium for the second time in the Tour’s 4th stage.

Ace sprinter Jasper Philipsen took his second stage win in a row at the Tour de France.

The Belgian won the fourth stage over 181 kilometres from Dax to Nogaro in the southwest of France.

In the final sprint, Philipsen held his ground ahead of Australian Caleb Ewan and Phil Bauhaus from Germany, who had surprisingly finished second the day before. Now the two swapped places. Philipsen again benefited from the lead of his compatriot Mathieu van der Poel in the final sprint, while several other participants faltered and crashed in the last 800 metres.

It was the last flat stage before the Pyrenees. This Wednesday, the Cold de Soudet, a 15-kilometre climb of the highest category, awaits the riders on the section between Pau and Laruns.

As expected, there were no changes at the top of the overall classification. Adam Yates successfully defended the yellow jersey he had won at the Tour opener in Bilbao. Behind the Brit is his captain Tadej Pogacar, six seconds behind, who is the same time as Yates’ twin brother Simon.