Mads Pedersen continues to tear through the start of the cycling season. The 28-year-old Dane was the strongest in the second stage of the Tour de la Provence after winning the first, thereby further securing his lead in the overall standings.
On the second day, the route went from Aix-en-Provence to Martigues over a distance of 157 kilometers. The race started in the interior of the French department but included some stretches along the coast towards the finish. With the Col de Bonnieux (7.0 km at 2.7%) and the Col de Vernegues (6 km at 2.8%), there were a few hills scattered throughout the stage, but a sprint seemed the most likely scenario.
Unlike Paris-Nice (the 'Race to the Sun'), it was a day full of rain and misery. Right from the start, the heavens opened, and the gates did not close until the finish line. Six riders didn't let it dampen their spirits and sought to warm up by forming the day's breakaway. They were the Frenchmen Alexis Gougeard (Cofidis), Thomas Bonnet (TotalEnergies), Kévin Avoine (Van Rysel-Roubaix), Jonathan Couanon (Nice Métropole Côte d'Azur), Alexis Guerin (Philippe Wagner/Bazin), and the Canadian Robin Plamondon (CIC U Nantes Atlantique).
French escapee miraculously avoids crashing
The peloton, led by Lidl-Trek, didn't give the breakaway group much leeway, and as the finish line drew closer, Guerin and Couanon were completely chilled and had to let their fellow escapees go. Not much later, Plamondon also dropped back, both literally and figuratively, and Avoine was extremely lucky not to crash on the slippery road surface. The Frenchman slid on a bump in the road, ended up landing on the frame, and swerved from left to right but eventually managed to regain control of his bike. Avoine clearly has a guardian angel...
Driven by 'El Tractor' Tim Declercq, Pedersen and company allowed the escapees to flounder a bit more, but had they miscalculated? With eight kilometers to the end, the French trio still had almost a minute's lead, but then Groupama-FDJ moved to the front, quickly closing in on the breakaway.
Alex Kirsch entered the final straight with Pedersen, and the Luxembourgish champion launched his sprinter at the perfect moment, leaving Pedersen to only fend off Frenchman Axel Zingle (Cofidis) and the Brit Samuel Watson (Groupama-FDJ).
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