Frenchman Victor Lafay (Cofidis) savors his victory ahead of Wout van Aert and Tadej Pogacar (right) during the second stage of the Tour de France, in San Sebastian (Spain), July 2, 2023. ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT / AFP
Unlike last year, you won’t have to wait for the penultimate stage to achieve French success in the Tour de France. Sunday July 2, Victor Lafay (Cofidis) was responsible for unlocking the local counter, winning the second day of this 110th edition of the event, in San Sebastian (Spain).
The day before, the 27-year-old rider had already been the only one able to take the wheels of Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar, when the last two winners of the Grande Boucle had decided to extricate themselves from the Pike coast. This time, he did better, beating all the contenders for the general classification on the shores of Zurriola beach – in a city that is doing well for the French since Dominique Arnould also won there in 1992.
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Well positioned at the bottom of a group of twenty-four, Victor Lafay surprised everyone by escaping under the red flame, his buttocks glued to the saddle. “I knew it would attack at the end, I said to myself: “I do the kilometer.” I saw that it was slowing down a bit and I went for it”, he detailed after the arrival. He resisted until the last moment when the favorites returned, settled in the sprint by Wout van Aert – disappointed by his second place to the point of hitting his handlebars in rage – and Tadej Pogacar. “I thought, ‘I’m going to get eaten, I’m going to get eaten!’ At no time did I tell myself that it was done”he joked, a few minutes after his triumph.
In 2022, for his first Tour de France, the Lyonnais had given up during the 13th stage due to breathing difficulties. Thanks to “a premeditated attack”, by his own admission, he offered himself a revenge and his first success in the event. The most beautiful of his prize list, which has three other victories, including one in the Tour of Italy. “It’s just amazing. The dimension of a victory on the Tour will, inevitably, make me “explode”, but I have to keep a cool head “savored the person concerned at a press conference.
A “deliverance” for Cofidis, after fifteen years of scarcity
His number of the day allows him to climb to fourth place in the general classification, 12 seconds behind the leader, Adam Yates, to adorn himself with the green jersey of the best sprinter, and confirms his remarkable weekend. A feat nourished by the regrets of the day before: “Yesterday I was really frustrated, I had the legs to win or in any case play in front, especially since there was the yellow jersey at stake so I had it a little across [de la gorge]. »
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