Bretagne Ladies Tour: Fortin outduels Lach in sprint to win stage 2

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Late crash disrupts finish as Lach escapes and retains race lead

OUDENAARDE, BELGIUM - APRIL 02: Valentine Fortin of France and Cofidis Women Team competes passing through a cobblestones sector during the 20th Ronde van Vlaanderen - Tour des Flandres 2023, Women's Elite a 156.6km one day race from Oudenaarde to Oudenaarde / #UCIWWT / on April 02, 2023 in Oudenaarde, Belgium. (Photo by Luc Claessen/Getty Images)
Valentine Fortin (Cofidis) (Image credit: Luc Claessen/Getty Images)
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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.

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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. 

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Jackie Tyson
Jackie Tyson
North American Editor

Jackie has been involved in professional sports for more than 30 years in news reporting, sports marketing and public relations. She founded Peloton Sports in 1998, a sports marketing and public relations agency, which managed projects for Tour de Georgia, Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah and USA Cycling. She also founded Bike Alpharetta Inc, a Georgia non-profit to promote safe cycling. She is proud to have worked in professional baseball for six years - from selling advertising to pulling the tarp for several minor league teams. On the bike, she has climbed l'Alpe d'Huez three times (not fast), and spends time on gravel around horse farms in north Georgia.

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