Mezgec wins stage 2 of Tour du Haut Var

Luka Mezgec (Giant-Alpecin) opened his account for 2015 with victory on the second and final stage of the Tour du Haut Var in Draguignan, while Ben Gastauer (AG2R-La Mondiale) finished safely in the front group to seal the overall win.

The rugged terrain around Draguignan and the rapid pace made for a typically tough afternoon of racing, and Mezgec had to battle simply to remain in contention for the final sprint on the keenly-contested approach to the finish.

"It was hard today and at first look at the stage profile I didn't think I could be present at the finish but coach Aike [Visbeek] and the team had confidence in me and looked after me all day so I have to thank them all," Mezgec said.

The day was marked by a nine-man move that went clear after 50 kilometres, with the AG2R team of Gastauer forced to lead the chase. Johan Le Bon (FDJ) struck out alone from the break in the final hour of racing and held a lead of 1:10 entering the final 20 kilometres but he was swept up soon afterwards.

Davide Rebellin (CCC Sprandi) launched a fierce attack on the Côte des Tuilières in the company of Julien Loubet, but they were pegged back on the undulating approach to the line, with AG2R eager to control affairs.

In the eventual bunch finish, Mezgec timed his effort well to see off the twin challenges of Philippe Gilbert (BMC) and Baptiste Planckaert (Roubaix Lille Metropole). Gastauer was well-placed throughout and after his solo stage win yesterday, that was enough for the Luxembourger to seal overall victory.

"This morning I was really motivated. But, I was also under pressure The gap with the others riders was not very important but the whole team perfectly controlled the race The team was really fantastic," Gastauer said. "I'm very proud of this week-end. First of all, it's my first victory and the first for Ag2r-La Mondiale this year. It's encouraging ahead of next weekend in Drôme - Ardèche and Paris-Nice."

For Mezgec, there was relief at opening his account for the season. "I knew from feelings and the analysis of the numbers in training that I am at a higher level compared to last year but you always need a big result to confirm this for the confidence, so it’s good that I’ve got this win so early in the season," he said.

Mezgec was forced to chase back on after being dropped in the finale, and he praised the efforts of American Chad Haga in setting him up for the sprint. "Together with two others I attacked from the second group and managed to jump across to the leaders where Chad was already present," he said. "It was a big effort but I managed to recover just before the sprint. Chad then got me into the right wheel and I could do a really good sprint."

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