Published on : 07/03/2023
Another great day for the Cofidis team! The day after his victory, Victor Lafay enjoyed a new-found popularity and the luxury of keeping the green jersey for another day. Bryan Coquard finished 10th in the first major sprint. And his fitness and determination augur well for the future!
Nothing has changed, yet everything is a little different. In the aftermath of Victor Lafay's victory, the team is back to its usual routines and daily routine on the roads of the Tour. Yet there's a little more interest, a little more smiles and a little more curiosity too: a green jersey on Victor Lafay's shoulders.
His success the day before and the emotion it aroused within the team, among Cofidis Groupe employees and, more broadly, among all sports enthusiasts, are of course still fresh in the memory. And he also inspires his team-mates with the certainty that even here, the wildest dreams can come true.
Bryan, a 'top 10' and bright prospects
The day after looked like a beautiful procession, a final farewell to the Spanish Basque Country, crowded roadsides impregnated with a kind of nervousness, too, because the sprinters could finally shine. But that didn't stop Victor from putting on quite a show, breaking away from the pack and picking up a few points in the intermediate sprint. His audacity was rewarded at the finish: tied on points with the day's winner, Jasper Philipsen (80 pts), he retained the green jersey and was once again honored at the awards ceremony.
A little earlier, the bunch sprint took place. Alexis Renard and Axel Zingle, both newcomers to the Tour de France, discovered the harshness of these few kilometers where everything comes down to the wire. Bryan was nevertheless able to take a place of honour. Finishing 10th and best Frenchman, the "Coq" is looking forward to the next sprints. And that's just as well: tomorrow will be another opportunity for sprinters to explain themselves to each other, as the stage finishes on the Nogaro circuit.
HEY SAID
Victor Lafay: "It was a great day. Lots of riders from the peloton came to see me. It means a lot to me that riders like Mark Cavendish congratulate me: he and others were among my childhood idols. Of course, there's a before and an after, but I hope that my victory won't be just a flash in the pan. During the stage, it was Bryan who told me that I could take points in the intermediate sprint. It didn't cost me much physically and it almost kept me wide awake for the finale!"
Bryan Coquard: "It was going very fast in the final. We tried to do the best we could with Alexis and Axel. This is their first Tour de France, their first sprint at this level, and they really put their heart and soul into it for me, giving it their all. It's the first sprint we've done together and I know we're going to make progress. Afterwards, there was a lot of pressure, a lot of tension and with the background noise, the spectators... I had forgotten that I was cycling to experience these emotions on the Tour de France."
Bingen Fernandez, directeur sportif: "After two days of crazy pace, we could see that fatigue was already taking its toll. The peloton slowed the pace a little before setting off again for the finish. No crashes were reported, which was a good thing. In the final sprint, Alexis and Axel showed good will, even if sprints in the Tour de France are anything but an exact science. Bryan finished an interesting 10th, even though it's not necessarily the type of sprint he's most fond of. Victor played his cards right to keep the jersey, and he'll enjoy keeping it for one more stage!