Tour de France 2023 | Victor Lafay (Cofidis) wins the 2nd stage Wout van Aert and Tadej Pogacar!

Fifteen years later, Cofidis is back on the path to success in the Tour de France! While the Jumbo-Visma had done everything to offer victory to Wout Van Aert, the Dutch formation was surprised by the attack under the red flame of Victor Lafay, bluffing once again. The Frenchman resisted the group of favorites in the last kilometer to offer himself the 2nd stage of this Tour de France 2023 in San Sebastian, his 4th professional victory. Frustrated, Van Aert had to settle for 2nd place, just ahead of Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) who continued to nibble seconds away from Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma). Adam Yates remains in yellow.

Pinot, big loser of the day

The Basque Country has definitely reserved a very beautiful Grand Départ. The 2nd stage took a long time to get started, behind a breakaway that started very quickly and was too few to hope to go to the end. Accompanied by Rémi Cavagna (Soudal-Quick Step) and Edvald Boasson Hagen (TotalEnergies), Neilson Powless (EF Education-Easy Post) took the opportunity to consolidate his polka dot jersey before trying to resist solo in the final. But the American was caught at the height of the Jaizkibel slope (2nd cat, 8.1km at 5.3%).

At work all day, when you could believe that she would let it go and not defend the jersey, UAE Team Emirates blew up the peloton in the mythical climb of the Clasica San Sebastian, with in particular a big job of Majka then the yellow jersey Adam Yates to launch Tadej Pogacar towards the bonuses. Faster than Vingegaard, the Slovenian did not try to push particularly on the descent and a group of 24 riders then regrouped. But without Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ, +2’25”), without Ben O’Connor (AG2R Citroën, +58”), without Guillaume Martin (Cofidis, +58”), without Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal- Quick Step) nor Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), unable to follow the pace.

Lafay, 15 years after Chavanel

With four Jumbo-Visma present, Wout Van Aert then seemed in a perfect position to win, despite attempts by Pello Bilbao (Bahrain-Victorious) and Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe). But Wilco Keldermann and Tiesj Benoot were at the end of the race and Victor Lafay’s attack under the red flame was as frank as it was well thought out. The Jumbo-Visma looked at each other for a few moments before giving their all. Too late to catch up with the Cofidis runner, author of a new feat.

Two years after his stage victory on the Giro, 15 years after the last success of Cofidis on the Tour, gleaned by Sylvain Chavanel in Montluçon on the 2008 Tour, here he is winner of the Tour de France. He is also now 4th overall, 12″ from the yellow jersey Adam Yates. What will give him hopes of a leader’s tunics in the coming days? With 7″ of bonuses still garnered this Sunday, Pogacar has an 11″ lead on Vingegaard.Little by little, he is widening the gap with a Dane who has always refused to ride with the Slovenian so far and even to ride for Van Aert in the final.