The Manxman couldn’t find a way to open his acceleration in Wednesday’s messy finale.
Stage 2 of the Circuit de la Sarthe started from La Lude and after 113.1 kilometers took the peloton on an undulating 8.8km local lap which they had to cover seven times. Six riders booked a place in the breakaway and enjoyed a maximum gap of six minutes, managing to stay away until the last 15 kilometers,
Coming onto the finishing straight in Le Lude, Mark Cavendish was perfectly positioned in the wheel of lead-out man Bert Van Lerberghe, but just as he was preparing to come around and launch his sprint, the Tour de France green jersey winner got boxed in and ended a frustrating tenth as Olav Kooij (Jumbo-Visma) took the victory ahead of the race’s overall leader.
Circuit de la Sarthe continues with Thursday’s stage 3, which will start and finish in Sablé-sur-Sarthe, where the sprinters should be again in the spotlight.
Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images
