Belgian cyclist Jasper Philipsen prevailed in a fierce sprint to the finish line to win Stage 17 of the Tour de France on Wednesday, moving to within seven points of green jersey holder Mads Pedersen, while Tadej Pogacar retained the overall lead. Philipsen, a rider for Alpecin-Deceuninck who won the green jersey in 2023, claimed his first stage win of this Tour ahead of Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla) and Olav Kooij (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), who finished second and third respectively. Danish rider Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) took eighth place. Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) maintained his lead of four minutes and 32 seconds over Remco Evenepoel in the overall standings. The 28-year-old Philipsen, who was brilliantly assisted by his teammate Mathieu van der Poel in the final sprint to clinch the victory, said: 'I had to wait until Stage 17 to win, I dedicate this achievement to the team that kept believing in me.' The fast start of the 174.7-kilometer stage from Chambéry to Voiron led to two early crashes, with Davide Ballerini falling shortly before a group of riders went down, including Tom Pidcock. Pidcock, who was eighth in the general classification before the stage, quickly got up, as did Lenny Martinez, who was seventh.