Better from Sam Bennett at Tour, but last chance may be gone | Video

Sam Bennett displayed more poke, and threw the bike around a bit more, on the stage 16 sprint at the Tour de France, but it may have been the last chance for a win (Photo: Tim van Wichelen-Cor Vos)

Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) got closer to victory at today's stage 16 of the Tour de France, though still had to settle for 4th as Jasper Philipsen took his third stage win after a fantastic lead-out by his Alpecin-Deceuninck team.

Bennett looked better today - showing more pep in his sprint and throwing his bike around a bit more than we've seen on this Tour just before the line. However, that improvement may have come too late for the Irishman.

The smart money says today's stage was the eighth and final one for the sprinters, though there is a remote chance - if the planets aligned - that some of the fast men might get one more shot. And if that is the case, Bennett will hope his improving results through this race might continue on that trajectory and deliver him to a victory.

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Today, Philipsen was simply in another league, as was his lead-out train - which includes world champion Mathieu van der Poel. And when points classification leader Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) was one of a number of fallers in the final kilometre, Philipsen's main challenger was gone.

Alpecin-Deceuninck and Uno X Mobility battled each other - at times shoulder to shoulder - at the front of the bunch deep into the final kilometre. And when Alpecin-Deceuninck won that scrap, as Bennett opted to follow Uno X Mobility's sprinter, Alexander Kristoff, the Irish rider's decision cost him a little.

Though Bennett tried to come off Kristoff's wheel, he was unable to pass the Norwegian, who claimed 3rd behind winner Philipsen and runner-up Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain-Victorious). Bennett had to be content with 4th.

However, the Carrick-on-Suir man has at times gone backwards when he has attempted to sprint at this Tour. That was definitely not the case today, though he perhaps simply held his own rather than gained on his rivals.

Still, Wout Van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) finished just behind him and the way Bennett darted to his right at the last, throwing his bike around with a bit of confidence, was also something we have not seen from him on this race before today.

The signs are Bennett is building, getting to grips with the load of a three-week race again and maybe getting stronger in comparison to the other fast man. However, he was still quite a ways off a victory today.

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Girmay limped in, clearly with wounds to his arms and leg, and he lives to fight another day. However, Philipsen is now within 50 points of the green jersey, having trailed Girmay 224 to 128 points just a week ago. The Belgian has taken three stage wins since then and Girmay, crucially, scored no points at the finish today as Philipsen took 50.

With a challenging five days remaining on this race starting tomorrow with a climbers' finish - though the last climb is only a cat 3 to Superdévoluy - there is only one possible chance for the sprinters, on Thursday's stage 18.

However, if the 179.5km race from Gap to Barcelonnette is raced hard, very few - if any - of the sprinters will fight for the stage win. The five categorised climbs are all cat 3s and the last of those is crested some 40km from the finish.

However, it's still a grippy course and the final 30km is uphill, though it is a draggy final, rather than a climbers' finish. If Bennett's condition is good, and the stage is not one of all-out aggression, he just might hang in, though that remains to be seen.

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) continues to lead the race, by 3:09, from Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma | Lease a Bike). Remco Evenepoel (Soudal QuickStep) in 3rd at 5:19.

Whether Vingegaard can stage a last week raid on yellow may not become absolutely clear tomorrow given the absence of big climbs. But the stage should offer up at least some more clues in the battle for overall victory, before a day of truth on Friday, when stage 19 ends on the Isola 2000 summit.

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