The battle for the green jersey at the 2026 Tour de France is more wide open than ever. If just a few hours ago Mads Pedersen seemed to have control of the points classification, the victory of Jasper Philipsen in the seventeenth stage has completely changed the scenario, reopening a battle that will accompany the Grande Boucle all the way to the Champs-Élysées.

The success of the Belgian sprinter from Alpecin-Premier Tech was worth not only his eleventh career victory at the Tour de France, but also a hefty haul in the green jersey classification. Now Pedersen holds the symbol of first place with 452 points, but Philipsen has climbed back to 445, just seven points behind.

A minimal margin that forces the Danish rider from Lidl-Trek to completely change strategy in the final stages. From this moment on, every intermediate sprint will become crucial, as will every final sprint. There will no longer be room for calculations or days of coasting: every single point could make the difference in the race for one of the Tour's most prestigious jerseys.

Pedersen knows this well and, despite receiving the award for most combative rider of the day, did not hide a certain disappointment at the end of the stage.

"I can't do much with this most combative rider award. We're racing for the points classification and yesterday we lost points to our main rival. So this award is useless to me," he said with a smile to France TV microphones.

A quip that perfectly captures what is now the Danish rider's sole objective: defending the green jersey all the way to Paris.

Philipsen's victory has indeed completely reversed the momentum of the competition. After a difficult start to the Tour, in which the Belgian had only managed placings without being able to convert them into victories, Alpecin-Premier Tech has returned to prominence at the most important moment. Beyond the stage win, Philipsen has also regained confidence and conviction, elements that could make him even more dangerous in the final days.

This is why Pedersen is aware that the battle will be extremely tough. "It will be a great battle all the way to Paris with Jasper. I want to bring home that jersey. It will be a fight to the very end, that's for sure."

Words that perfectly highlight the current state of the race. While the general classification seems firmly in the hands of Tadej Pogacar, the green jersey is anything but decided. With just seven points separating the two contenders, every intermediate sprint could shift the balance.

Lidl-Trek will therefore have to work to put Pedersen in the best possible position at every opportunity, while Alpecin-Premier Tech will try to capitalize on Philipsen's renewed enthusiasm and his team's experience to complete a comeback that seemed unlikely just a few days ago. "We certainly won't be able to miss any more opportunities and we'll have to be careful about every single point, to be able to reach Paris with the certainty of having kept the green jersey."

The battle for the points classification thus enters its decisive phase. From here to Paris, it won't just be about stage wins, but also about the ability to claim every single available point. And with such a narrow gap, the green jersey could be decided only in the final sprint on the Champs-Élysées.