Sprinters rue dwindling opportunities

Slimmest pickings in over two decades leaves many disappointed

- Chris Marshall-Bell

Sprinters have had the slimmest of pickings at this year's Tour de France, with just three bunch sprints before the second rest day, the lowest amount before the final week's racing in 21 years.

Jasper Philipsen's (Alpecin-Deceuninck) win in Carcassonne at the end of stage 15 was their last bunch sprint, coming a whole two weeks after the previous one on Danish soil, in Sønderborg on stage three.

A parcours that favours punchy racing and one that was intended to entice the general classification's main players out as often as possible has been responsible for the frustration felt by the sprinters. Caleb Ewan bemoaned team tactics on stage 13 when only his Lotto-Soudal squad and Alpecin-Fenix wanted a group finish; the Australian was later fined by the race commissaires that day for drafting behind the Alpecin car after a crash.