2nd day – 2nd place: Primož Roglič shows his puncheur qualities

Day two of the Critérium du Dauphiné saw the first metres of climbing. Only 142 kilometres long, making it the shortest mass-start stage of this year’s race, but with 2600 metres of climbing, the combination promised an exciting day of racing, with many riders hoping for a stage win. Including BORA – hansgrohe. After a small breakaway formed early on, the team controlled the group in the middle section to make the race difficult in the finale. The peloton split right at the start of the long final climb. With 10 kilometres to go, Aleks Vlasov took the lead. Thanks to his increased pace, all but one of the escapees were caught and the yellow jersey was distanced. With Bruno Armirail still in the lead at the three-kilometre mark, Jai Hindley and Aleks Vlasov joined forces. On the foggy Col de la Loge, the showdown came in the final and steepest 300 metres, when the puncheurs launched their sprint. Armirail was caught – Magnus Cort cheered ahead of Primož Roglič. Primož Roglič’s first reaction after the finish was to use a football analogy“If you don’t shoot at the goal, you can’t score.”  “It was close and in the end one of us was quicker. The most important thing is that all our boys showed a good level and commitment. I’m a bit disappointed because I didn’t win and I couldn’t finish. A result will come sooner or later if we continue to work well.”