Tour de l'Ain: Jefferson Alexander Cepeda secures solo win on stage 2, takes overall lead

Jefferson Alexander Cepeda wins stage 2 at Tour de l'Ain (Image credit: Getty Images)

Jump to:

Results

Jefferson Alexander Cepeda (EF Education-EasyPost) secured a solo victory on the second stage at the Tour de l'Ain. The Ecuadorian crossed the finish line 28 seconds ahead of runner-up Stefano Oldani (Cofidis) and third-placed Rudy Molard (Groupama-FDJ) in Lélex Monts-Jura.

Cepeda moved into the overall race lead ahead of the final stage 3 on Monday. He now leads the overall classification by 32 seconds over Oldani and 33 seconds on Molard.

The peloton raced a mountainous 155.3km from Saint-Vulbas to Lélex Monts-Jura. The route included three categorised ascents and a final climb to the finish line.

Article continues below

Célestin Guillon (Van Rysel-Roubaix) and Pierre Latour (TotalEnergies) formed a two-rider breakaway. However, Latour was distanced from the move and caught by the field 60km from the finish line. Guillon, too, was caught 10km later.

Overnight leader, Fergus Browning (Trinity Racing), was distanced from the main field, all but losing the overall race leader's jersey before the end of the stage.

Antonio Pedrero (Movistar) tried to bridge across over the top of Col de Menthières, but he never managed to reconnect with Cepeda and was caught inside the final 5km of the race.

Results

Results powered by FirstCycling

Kirsten Frattini has been the Editor of Cyclingnews since December 2025, overseeing editorial operations and output across the brand and delivering quality, engaging content.

She manages global budgets, racing & events, production scheduling, and contributor commissions, collaborating across content sections and teams in the UK, Europe, North America, and Australia to ensure audience and subscription growth across the brand.

Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.

'At the half-way point, I was four minutes behind' - Unbound Gravel winner Cameron Jones surpasses Keegan Swenson's record time at The White Rim

New Zealander sets new FKT on 100-mile, rugged Utah route by making up deficit and trimming nearly five minutes from US rider's mark
'He can attack in the most random places' – Tadej Pogačar ponders potential tactical headache of Remco Evenepoel at Tour of Flanders

Road World Champion says 'you can never let him go in front with a couple of seconds, because it's almost impossible to catch him'
'I don't consider myself in the big four' – Wout van Aert 'older and wiser' but avoids talking himself up for major Tour of Flanders battle

Belgian says rivals like Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogačar will 'have something more than all the others' on Sunday
Woes continue for Arnaud De Lie as Lotto Intermarché rider ruled out of Tour of Flanders

Belgian Classics star misses De Ronde with illness with hopes to be fit in time for Paris-Roubaix

Results

Latest on Cyclingnews

'At the half-way point, I was four minutes behind' - Unbound Gravel winner Cameron Jones surpasses Keegan Swenson's record time at The White Rim

'He can attack in the most random places' – Tadej Pogačar ponders potential tactical headache of Remco Evenepoel at Tour of Flanders

'I don't consider myself in the big four' – Wout van Aert 'older and wiser' but avoids talking himself up for major Tour of Flanders battle

Woes continue for Arnaud De Lie as Lotto Intermarché rider ruled out of Tour of Flanders