(San Sebastian, Spain) Impressed by the almost insolent demonstration of Victor Lafay on the steep slopes of Bilbao the day before, Hugo Houle “chambered” his colleague at the start of the second stage, under a drizzle Sunday noon in Vitoria-Gasteiz.
“I saw that you had the legs, you walk! “, launched the Quebecer by mimicking the movement of the pedals with the index and the middle finger, universal symbol of ease on two wheels.
We will not know what the Frenchman answered him, but five hours later, on the dry asphalt of San Sebastian, he surprised all the favorites by decamping under the red flame before resisting their return in extremis to lift the arm on arrival.
Not only was it the best victory for the 27-year-old rider, winner of the Giro in 2019, but it represented an almost miraculous deliverance for the Cofidis team, which had not tasted it on the Tour since 2008 and a success of Sylvain Chavanel.
PHOTO ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Victor Lafay
Fifteen years of frustration – and even taunts – have probably disappeared at once for the northern team, sometimes mocked for its red and sunny yellow uniform which has not always offered a happy assembly.
To get there, Lafay succeeded in the “kilometer trick”, namely throwing all his cards 1000 meters from the wire to anticipate the final sprint, even if it means exploding and plummeting in the stage classification.
“When I made my effort, I wasn’t even thinking about winning,” said the friendly-looking Lyonnais, still out of breath.
It was just trying my best. I saw the line and I looked at the meter: 500 meters, 400 meters… I saw the watts dropping a little bit. I said to myself: come on, come on! I still got a tooth. Well, I believed in it until the end. It’s a sick thing!
Victor Lafay
Lafay was ahead in order of Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), Tadej Pogacar (UAE) and Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo), the main players in the last Tour. The three Galacticos of cycling have once again fought a crank battle at the top of Jaizkibel, the emblematic mountain of San Sebastian invaded by the Zaleakname given to the Basque partisans.
Fifth the day before, Canadian Mike Woods (IPT) finished seventh this time, falling two places in the general classification. His Belgian teammate Dylan Teuns finished ninth.
“There was a big tempo all day,” said Lafay, who had the same time as his 23 pursuers, as he almost lost everything.
“It’s not what I like the most. In addition, I had a side stitch in the middle of the stage which I dragged into the last bump where I was a bit on the limit. I really got hooked. I said to myself: for once, I’m going to have a plan in the end, which I don’t necessarily usually have! »
Sixth Saturday, after getting involved in the first Pogacar-Vingegaard duel, the puncher has faded a bit this time.
“Yesterday, I was a victim of marking. Maybe today I took advantage of it a little. I saw that Jumbo worked a lot in the finale. That’s also why I thought it might be a good idea to do the kilometer course, since they were a bit worn out. Wout wasn’t going to roll on his own. I played on that and I think that’s what won me. »
Nineteenth on the stage, Adam Yates (UAE) kept his yellow jersey, but Pogacar slipped between him and his twin brother Simon (Jayco) thanks to the 12 bonus seconds snatched from the top of Jaizkibel and the arrival.
PHOTO BENOIT TESSIER, REUTERS
Adam Yates
First to draw on the mountain, Vingegaard ultimately lost five seconds to his main rival in the general standings, where he nevertheless moved up to sixth place.
After the ceremonies, Lafay pedaled towards the bus, reviving with his hand the cheers of the Donestians who did not want this finally sunny Sunday to end. The two cars of Cofidis, which followed him behind, honked at will, exclamation marks of an unforgettable day.