The Frenchman Victor Lafay has once again dressed as an unexpected hero at the start of the Tour de France. During the first stage, he was the only one able to withstand the momentum of Pogacar and Vingegaard on the hardest ramps of Pike Bidea, before heading to Bilbao. Yesterday, in the second stage, he was not able to crown with the two caps of the round the port of Jaizkibel, the last before going down to San Sebastià, but he was able not to lose sight of the race and, already in the capital of Donostia, starred in a vibrant change of pace at the end. He left behind a classic like Wout van Aert, the great favorite once the race reached the final stage, the same Pogacar or Pello Bilbao, very brave in the descent of Jaizkibel.
All four were part of the twenty chosen that arrived in Sant Sebastià with the leading group. Earlier, Jaizkibel, an 8.1-kilometer port that caresses the Bidasoa, won the stage and in the final stretch left without specialist options such as Pinot, Alaphilippe or Daniel Felipe Martínez. This port again confirmed that Pogacar and Vingegaard are the strongest when the level of demand reaches its peak. They stayed alone on the most demanding sections and crowned together, while looking at each other, as they had promised at the presentation.
The Slovenian, however, had the feeling of reaching a point above. He took the bonus and, like Pike Bidea, motioned to the Danish runner to go together to the finish line. The Jumbo-Visma runner declined the option, perhaps because he had Wout van Aert in the rearview mirror. The two roosters of the current Tour, the last two winners of the French round, did not take long to be hunted by the few who endured the type in Jaizkidel. Towards San Sebastián, downhill, Pello Bilbao was the best, he even opened the race and, for a moment, made the Basque fans, who were huge the other day, dream of stage victory. It was a mirage. The Jumbo-Visma had the stage victory tucked between an eyebrow and an eyebrow, and was pushing forward with three runners.
Towards the finish line of Zurriola beach, there were other attempts, all short-lived. When all eyes were on Wout van Aert, the unexpected hero emerged. Victor Lafay made a lightning change of pace from the tail of the chosen group. It was so forceful that the retort took a while to arrive. Wout van Aert and Pogacar himself tried to hunt him down with the final sprint, although it was in vain.
Jubilant, the Cofidis rider gave his team a Tour victory 15 years later and automatically became France’s great hope for the Tour, especially after Pinot and Alaphilippe were seen faltering on the Jaizkibel ramps. The race had other winners. Adam Yates, the fastest in Bilbao, managed to keep the yellow jersey after holding the guy in the last gate; he is followed by Pogacar, at 6 seconds, and the twin, Simon, at the same distance.
The other great protagonist of the day, Neilson Powless, crossed the finish line eight minutes behind the leading group. Before the final section of Jaizkibibel, he had starred in a commendable breakaway that was applauded by the cycling fans who filled the Basque roads. He held on at every gate and reached the last big obstacle with a minute and a half lead. Too little to hold the pulse of the men of the UAE and Jumbo.
