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2023 Tour de France: Stage 2 Results

  • Ron 

With less than a kilometer to go, Victor Lafay knew the had a chance and successfully tried his luck to take the win in Stage 2 of the 2023 Tour de France. The Savoyard patiently held on to his place among the leaders before pulling away from the favorites to make his move. His victorious attempt was an example of daring, of surpassing oneself and of the energy needed to reach cycling’s finest emotions. Having won a stage in the Giro in 2021, he can now taste the euphoria of a Tour victory.

“For once, I had a plan. I knew I didn’t have the legs to attack over the hump, and besides, that’s often where the strongest riders attack, so there was no point,” said Lafay at the finish. “When I saw that the Jumbo-Visma team were coming back on Tadej, I thought I’d take advantage. As I approached the last kilometer, I attacked and didn’t question my decision. I took off hard on the left, opposite to where they were. After that, I worked as hard as I could, leaning over the bike as much as possible like Benjamin Thomas did last year. And let’s face it, we’ve got great bikes, and they’re really good aero-wise, so I think that obviously helped.

“I didn’t have time to think I was going to win, I could see the line and I knew I could be caught on the line. At no point did I say to myself ‘it’s done’. Once I crossed the line, I realized: “Wait a minute, there’s nobody in front of me? I’ve won. Does that mean I’ve won?” And then I raise my arms, it’s incredible!”

Wout Van Aert fell narrowly short of catching back the Frenchman. “It’s a shame, of course”, said Jumbo-Visma sports director Grischa Niermann. “Everything went pretty well today. Tadej Pogacar took some bonification seconds, but we know he is strong. Today Jonas made a strong impression, and we had four Jumbo-Visma riders in the first group. It’s just that Lafay’s attack was outstanding. Congratulations to him, but we would have preferred to take the stage win with Wout. Obviously, he is disappointed, which is normal. He is in good form, so there are more chances for him to win a stage.”

Stage 2 Brief Results:

  1. Victor Lafay (Cofidis) 4h46’39”
  2. Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) s.t.
  3. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) s.t.

General Classification After Stage 2:

  1. Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) 9h09’18”
  2. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) +6”
  3. Simon Yates (Jayco-Alula) s.t.
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