The second stage of the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes et du Var offered a spectacular finish, favorable to punchers.
No rest for the riders of the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes et du Var! The second stage of this Azure triptych was a loop around Fayence (177.4 km). The finish was at the top of the Fayence wall (1.2 km at 9.8%). The race promised to be explosive, and it was!
A breakaway of 7 with Andrea Mifsud
Numerous attacks animated the start of the race. Eventually, 7 riders took the lead: Dylan Kowalski (Xelliss-Roubaix Lille Métropole), Clément Berthet and Biniam Girmay Hailu (Delko), Hugo Houle (Astana-Premier Tech), Víctor De La Parte (Total Direct Energie), Cyril Barthe (B&B Hôtels p/b KTM), and the young Cannois Andrea Mifsud (Swiss Racing Academy), already on the offensive during the first stage.
The gap increased to 4’50”. But the peloton controlled, in the wake of Trek-Segafredo. The American team was working for the leader of the general classification, the Dutchman Bauke Mollema. The 7 riders in the lead had a 2’30” advantage at the base of the first climb of the Fayence wall, about 35 kilometers from the finish.
In this first ascent of the Fayence wall, the breakaway accelerated. Dylan Kowalski and Andrea Mifsud were distanced by their fellow escapees. A few kilometers later, Eritrean Biniam Girmay Haliu was also dropped. Only 4 riders remained at the front. The escapees had a 1′ lead at the start of the last 15 kilometers.
Michael Woods makes a strong impression
The leaders continued to lose members. Clément Berthet and Victor De La Parte were thus dropped in the final. Hugo Houle and Cyril Barthe were the last survivors of the morning breakaway. The two leaders were finally caught with less than 3 kilometers to go by a peloton led at high speed by the INEOS-Grenadiers.
The peloton arrived grouped at the Fayence wall. In the final hectometers, Michael Woods (Israel Start-Up Nation) launched an attack. The Canadian, a specialist in this type of finish, managed to make a difference to win in great style. Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) took second place in the stage. Jhonatan Narvaez (INEOS-Grenadiers) completed the podium.
There was a change in the overall leadership. Michael Woods took the lead, just one second ahead of Bauke Mollema. Therefore, suspense is guaranteed ahead of the third and final stage. Tomorrow, the riders of this Tour des Alpes-Maritimes et du Var will have an exciting program with a loop around Blausasc (134.7 km). The Col de la Madone is expected to be the scene of a great showdown among the favorites of this race.
Rankings and reactions:
Stage 2 Ranking:
1. Michael Woods (Israel Start-Up Nation) in 04h16’54”
2. Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) at 2”
3. Jhonatan Manuel Narvaez Prado (INEOS-Grenadiers) at 4”
4. David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) at 7”
5. Alexis Vuillermoz (Total Direct-Energie) at 10”
6. Rudy Molard (Groupama-FDJ) at 10”
7. Ben O’Connor (AG2R Citroën Team) at 11”
8. Arjen Livyns (Bingoal-WB) at 13”
9. Pavel Sivakov (INEOS-Grenadiers) at 13”
10. Christophe Laporte (Cofidis) at 13”
Overall Ranking:
1. Michael Woods (Israel Start-Up Nation) in 9h07’15”
2. Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) at 1”
3. David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) at 7”
4. Rudy Molard (Groupama-FDJ) at 10”
5. Ben O’Connor (AG2R Citroën Team) at 11”
6. Jesus Herrada Lopez (Cofidis) at 13”
7. Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo) at 13”
8. Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ) at 13”
9. Arjen Livyns (Bingoal-WB) at 13”
10. Nairo Quintana (Arkéa-Samsic) at 13”
Reactions:
Michael Woods (Israel Start-Up Nation): “The goal was to secure a stage victory today. I’m really very happy to win in my first race this year. I felt good. I knew I had to focus on this ascent, and I went for it pushing the pedals as hard as I could.”
Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo): “It was a tough day, with climbs and descents all day long. It’s a shame to lose the jersey by one second, but I think Woods was the strongest today. I was on his wheel at 300-400 meters, but I couldn’t come back. I couldn’t pass him, and I think he deserves the victory. My legs are good, and I’m happy with my form. Tomorrow will be a really tough mountain stage. It will be much harder than the last few days because it will be for pure climbers. It’s close to home, and I know the climbs very well. I hope I can change things in the general classification on Sunday.”
David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ): “The team didn’t feel too bad with the results. We’re 4th and 6th with Rudy Molard, so it’s pretty good. It’s encouraging. I take the white jersey of the best young rider from Valentin Madouas, and it’s fair play. It’s funny, but the goal is for it to stay within the team. We still have 3 riders placed overall, so it’s not too bad. Tomorrow, there’s still a nice stage. I think we’ll be more in our playing field, in the sense that it will be real mountains, with passes at 1000 meters altitude. There’s a way to achieve great things. We’ll need to recover well, and we’ll try to do well. For a start, the team is performing well, it’s encouraging.”
