2020 Tour de France: Stage 2 News, Notes and Quotes

The race reports are in and here are today’s news, notes and quotes from Stage 2 of the 2020 Tour de France

Emotional Win for Julian Alaphilippe

A magnificent display helped Julian Alaphilippe continue to build upon his extraordinary legacy, as he took a fifth stage victory at the Tour de France, moving into the race’s overall lead on Nice’s Promenade des Anglais. Just like last year, when a superb attack on the roads of Marne netted him an emphatic win and the iconic yellow jersey, Alaphilippe made his move on the final climb of the day, some 13 kilometers from the finish.

Julian launched his winning sprint down the left-side of the road, blasting past Adam Yates and with a perfectly-timed bike throw over the edged out Hirschi, capturing his first victory of the year, before pointing to the sky, in memory of his father, who passed away in June.

“I wanted so much to get a stage victory for my late father. This was my main goal coming into the race. Everything that comes from now on is a bonus, but I wanted this victory for him and knowing that I got it makes me so happy”, an emotional Julian said after the finish.

The 28-year-old Frenchman, who now has six Grand Tour stage wins to his name, the latest of which confirming the amazing power to astonish he possesses, was quick to praise his team’s role in Sunday’s triumph: “Having Kasper in the breakaway put us in the perfect position, as we could wait for the final climb. Then Dries pushed a steady tempo on Col d’Èze, before Bob took over on Quatre Chemines. This incredible effort of my team was instrumental in the victory I got.”

Yates Attacks for 3rd Place

UAE Tour winner Adam Yates sprinted to third place in an attacking finale to stage two of the Tour de France in Nice.

The 28-year-old attacked on the final climb of the day to put himself in contention for his first Grand Tour stage win, but the Mitchelton-SCOTT rider couldn’t match the speed of winner Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck – Quick Step) in a three-way sprint for victory.

“It was a really hard day out, even the climbs at the beginning were being ridden at a solid pace and you could feel the fatigue as we came onto the climb the first time, you could see there were a lot of people suffering, just like me,” said Yates at the finish.

“There were already two up the road and when they went it was still quite early and Jumbo-Visma were riding quite a hard pace anyway. So, I waited until the little steep bit and jumped across and tried to work straight away.

“In the final I got away with the two guys, we started working well towards the end, and yeah, I was never going to win that sprint, was I? So, I think third was the best I was going to come out of that situation.

“It was a block headwind and I ended up on the front, not a good scenario for me there, but like I said, I was probably never going to be winning that sprint anyway, they’re both faster than me. So, I can be happy with third.”

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Benoit Cosnefroy Takes Polka Dots

With 18 points, Benoit Cosnefroy is tied with Anthony Perez. It was their places in the general classification that decided who would wear the jersey. Benoit Cosnefroy is 97th and Anthony Perez 104th.

“The polka dot jersey is a dream. It wasn’t the goal at first, but it became the goal over the course of the day,” Cosnefroy commented. “I’ll savor this moment.

“I was in a breakaway of rouleurs, who escaped when it was flat. The ascent of Col de la Colmiane went well enough, and I was able to grab the points at the top. It was more complicated on the Turini where my breakaway comrades gave me a hard time.

“I am not the best climber in the peloton, but I will fight to defend this jersey. We’ll see how far that takes me.”