Route du Sud: Coquard wins stage 2

Europcar's Bryan Coquard claimed an emphatic victory on stage 2 of the Route du Sud, jumping away from the peloton and snatching the victory from late attacker Quentin Jauregui (AG2R La Mondiale). Armindo Fonseca (Bretagne-Séché Environnement) was third.

Steve Tronet (Auber 93) kept the race lead by three seconds over Coquard.

The 141km stage from Auch to Saint-Gaudens saw a five man breakaway put in a valiant effort to hold off the peloton. Samuel Magalhães (Radio Populat-Boavista), Mads Pedersen (Cult Energy), Yoann Paillot (Marseille 13 KTM), Eneko Lizarralde (Murias) and Camilo Castiblanco (Colombia) made up the initial move that lasted into the finishing circuits in Saint-Gaudens, but with 25km to go, the move began to disintegrate.

Christophe Juul Jensen (Tinkoff-Saxo), Jasha Sütterlin (Movistar) and Oliver Le Gac (FDJ) attacked from the peloton, just as Pedersen and Paillot left their companions behind.

The trio made it up to Castilblanco and Lizarralde, passing the previously distanced Magalhães along the way, but only Lizarralde could hold the pace.

The four riders then bridged across to Paillot and Pedersen with 12km to go, but Europcar were driving hard in the peloton behind, bringing the gap to 30 seconds with 10km to go.

With 4km to go, Juul Jensen began ramping up the pace as AG2R La Mondiale closed the gap to 17 seconds, and both breakaway and peloton began to suffer on the undulating approach to the finish.

Juul Jensen continued to push the pace into the final kilometer, finally unhinging Lizarralde. The move only served to disrupt the pace in the breakaway, and the peloton closed in. Paillot attacked and was countered by Le Gac as the finish line approached. With 300m to go the peloton was passing the remnants of the breakaway as Le Gac put in a desperate surge, but Jauregui jumped passed him with only 250m remaining.

The AG2R La Mondiale rider saw the line, but a glance behind revealed a blur of green and black, bearing down and with only 40m to go Coquard rocketed past and raised his arms in victory, Jauregui pounding his bars in the agony of defeat.

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