Valentine Fortin (Cofidis) outsprinted Marta Lach (Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling) to win stage 2 of the Bretagne Ladies Tour in Saint-Méen-le-Grand. With the second-place finish on stage 2, Lach retains the leader’s jersey.
A crash in the final 3km turned the steamrolling surge of sprint trains into a small bunch contest, just seven riders making the final right-hand turn with 100 metres to the line. Martina Alzini (Cofidis) took third place ahead of Maria Martins (Fenix-Deceuninck) and Arianna Fidanza (Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling). Trailing from a small gap were Amandine Fouquenet (Arkéa Pro) and Victoire Berteau (Cofidis), and then the majority of the field was given the same time due to the crash.
"The goal was victory today. Honestly, I don't think we could do better," Fortin said after the race, celebrating her first win of the season.
From the start in Plémet for the 124.3km inland route, the front of the peloton saw Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling protecting Lach as they took on the five km laps in Saint-Méen-le-Grand to complete the stage. Also bunched at the front were AG Insurance - Soudal QuickStep, Cofidis Women Team, FDJ-SUEZ, Arkea Pro Cycling Team or Human Powered Health.
Results
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'They just nailed it' – NSN overcomes a day of good and bad to make the most of extra Tour Down Under sprint opportunity with Ethan Vernon
Corbin Strong abandons after stage 1 crash, planned 'wing man' Jake Stewart breaks collarbone, but Gilmore steps in to guide Vernon to team's first victory of season -
As it happened: Briton fastest on uphill sprint to win stage 4 at Tour Down Under
Extreme fire danger forces route change to 131km from Brighton to Willunga township -
'It was going to be 50/50 whether or not we had a stage today' – Changing the plans as altered Tour Down Under stage 4 survives the heat
Race director Stuart O'Grady said there was 'no hesitation' in making decision to remove Willunga Hill as 'it's sad from a racing point of view … but it's the most common sense and sensible decision for rider safety and public safety' -
Tour Down Under: Ethan Vernon wins wind-buffeted shortened stage 4 as second overall Jhonatan Narváez crashes out
Tobias Lund Andersen second and Laurence Pithie third while Jay Vine retained lead on penultimate stage
