Ethan Hayter remained in the top ten after the second day of racing.
Boucles de la Mayenne continued Friday with a stage for the sprinters, and even though the gaps in the general classification were small following the Laval prologue and the first three were rewarded with bonus seconds, there weren’t any changes in the standings.
It was a rather quiet day as the peloton travelled to Château-Gontier-sur-Mayenne, the main highlight of the stage until the final kilometers being a five-man breakaway that animated things. The escapees worked well together, but they were allowed to open just a three-minute buffer, which was easily wiped out by the chasers. In the end, it was a mass gallop, and Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM) took the win, while Alberto Dainese concluded this 172.4km stage as the best placed Soudal Quick-Step rider.
A completely different course will await on Saturday, when the many hills on the route - short, but steep - are expected to make for an attritional and spectacular stage, one that should deliver some significant changes to the general classification, where Ethan Hayter is currently tenth.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
