Julian Alaphilippe has surged clear to snatch victory on stage two of the Criterium du Dauphine.
Alaphilippe, who won by more than a bike length, timed his attack perfectly to register his first victory on the WorldTour in 14 months.
Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) was second, ahead of Trek-Segafredo’s Natnael Tesfatsion.
Stage one winner Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma) finished fourth over the hilly 167.5-kilometre second day to retain top spot in the overall classification ahead of countryman Alaphilippe.
“It was a tough victory to get,” Alaphilippe said of his first win since stage two of the Tour of the Basque Country in April 2022.
“These last few months have been tough, but we’ve worked hard and got back to where we wanted. It’s a relief. Now the win’s in the bag, that’s great news. I can take the rest of the week a bit more calmly and see what more I can do.”
Jumbo-Visma’s Steven Kruijswijk’s hopes of competing in the Tour de France have been rocked after the Dutch rider crashed in the early stages of stage two, fracturing his pelvis and breaking a collarbone.
