Etoile de Bessèges: Bryan Coquard wins stage 2

Image 1 of 20

Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) won stage 2 of Étoile de Bessèges - Tour du Gard, edging out race leader Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) in the uphill sprint at Rousson. Pedersen looked to replicate his victory of the previous day by accelerating with 175m remaining, but Coquard was able to match the former world champion’s effort and then come past him within sight of the line.

The stage finished with a 1.6km drag up the category 2 Plateau du Castellas, and although Pedersen underlined his sparkling early-season form with another show of strength, Coquard had the staying power to land his first victory since August 2020.

Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X) rode strongly to place third ahead of Mathieu Burgaudeau (TotalEnergies) and Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-EasyPost). Connor Swift (Arkéa-Samsic), who stretched out the front group with a determined acceleration on the final climb had to settle for 7th behind Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis).

As was the case 24 hours previously, Pedersen watched as a British rider opened the sprint but unleashing his own, rasping effort inside the final 200 metres. But while nobody could match the Dane in Bellegarde on Wednesday, Coquard proved a resolute foe here, and he edged his way in front when Pedersen finally sat into the saddle inside the final 50 metres. An exhausted Coquard lay on the road on crossing the finish line, but his satisfaction was evident at winning his first race in Cofidis colours – and breaking an 18-month duck that stretched back to the 2020 Route d’Occitanie.

“It was a very difficult finish, I thought I was never going to pass him, that he wasn't going to sit down,” Coquard said. “I'm very proud to raise my arms with this new jersey. I hope it's going to start the team off on a good run.”

In the overall standings, Pedersen now has a 17-second lead over Burgaudeau, with Bettiol a further 4 seconds back in third place. He also maintained his fast start to the campaign, having already placed second at the Grand de la Marseillaise on Sunday.  

How it unfolded

The day was animated by a four-man move featuring Thomas Denis (Go Sport-Roubaix Lille Métropole), Jens Reynders (Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise), Alexis Gougeard (B&B Hôtels-KTM) and Marti Marquez (Equipo Kern Pharma), who escaped inside the opening 20km and quickly established a lead over the peloton.

Their advantage reached a maximum of 3:50 shortly after Reynders had led them over the Côte de Lasalle, but it shrank incrementally thereafter, as teams including Alpecin-Fenix, UAE Team Emirates and Ineos Grenadiers began to take a controlling interest in the peloton on the approach to the Côte du Pradel in the finale. Although the fragmenting break’s lead had dropped inside half a minute by the base of the Pradel, the 6km ascent did not provide too many pyrotechnics ahead.

Remy Rochas (Cofidis) made a determined attack, catching and passing Marquez, but his lead over the peloton never stretched past 15 seconds or so. He was joined on the long, sweeping descent by Sebastien Reichenbach (Groupama-FDJ), and the Swiss rider later pressed on alone but the combined efforts of UAE Team Emirates and EF Education-EasyPost would ensure a group finish on the final kick to the line.

As on Wednesday, the terrain in the finale seemed to favour a rider of Bettiol’s characteristics, but while the Italian was a consistent fifth here, he is still working his way back to race sharpness after chronic illness shortened his 2021 campaign.

Instead, it was Connor Swift who caught the eye with a resolute effort midway up the climb, before Pedersen looked to repeat his feats from Bellegarde. Coquard, however, had the wherewithal to follow his initial move and then he conjured up to come past and open his account for the season.