Cycling: The second stage of the Etoile de Besseges also ended in a mass sprint. After a long chase, the escapees of the day could still be caught. In the battle for the day's win, Bryan Coquard (Vital Concept) and Christophe Laporte (Cofidis) fought a duel. While Coquard's team-mate was already cheering in the background, Laporte managed to overtake him. He can now also put on the leader's jersey.
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Persistent outliers
Marc Sarreau (Groupama-FDJ) conquered on yesterday first stage the leader's jersey at the Etoile de Besseges. Today it should be a hard piece of work for him and his team from Nimes to Générac to defend the beloved shirt. Because the six escapees made life difficult for the peloton. Jimmy Turgis (Cofidis), Romain Combaud (Delko Marseille Provence KTM), Dries Van Gestel (Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise), Kevin LeCunff (St Michele-Auber 93), Pierre Idjouadienne (Roubaix-Lille Metropolis) and Davide Gabburo (Amore & Vita-Prodir) left early. While the latter two were eventually shaken off, the other four pros kept the peloton on their toes for a long time.
Si vous avez 10 minutes, concentrate-vous on the final de l'#EtoileDeBesseges car l'arrivée approach. pic.twitter.com/ZiLFZBIv9b
— Equipe FDJ (@EquipeFDJ) February 1, 2018
Laporte just ahead of Coquard
Only shortly before the finish could the fugitives be caught in front of the eyes of spectator Raymond Poulidor. Again a mass sprint should decide the day's winner at the Etoile de Besseges. Marc Sarreau positioned himself too badly, so today he should only be able to finish sixth. Was up front again Bryan coquard (Vital Concept). Perfectly staged by his teammates, he already looked like the winner - at least he thought so himself and his teammate in the background. While he was already stretching his arms to cheer, Landsmann sprinted Christophe Laporte (Cofidis) but still past Coquard. He is still waiting for his first win of the season. Laporte, on the other hand, will be overjoyed because today's triumph also sees him take the lead in the overall standings.
🇫🇷@LAPORTEChristop of 🇫🇷@TeamCOFIDIS wins stage 2 of 🇫🇷@Etoile_Besseges (📹@Alpe__dHuez) #EtoiledeBesseges pic.twitter.com/aUc9WY2w9C
— World Cycling Stats (@wcstats) February 1, 2018