Just next to the sumptuous karst site of Ojo Guareña, a strong finish concluded stage 2 of the Tour de Burgos. Rémy Rochas showed himself on this occasion and obtained a very solid fourth place on the line. Caleb Ewan managed to beat the punchers to get the win. As for the Groupama-FDJ climber, he now sits in ninth place overall before the usual summit finish at the Lagunas de Neila on Wednesday.
After a bunch sprint in Burgos on Monday, the Vuelta a Burgos continued this Tuesday with a second, slightly hillier stage towards Ojo Guareña. One hundred and sixty kilometres were on the day’s menu, with 2,000 metres of elevation gain and a slight uphill finish. “The scenario was a bit identical to yesterday’s, with a breakaway that went early,” said Thierry Bricaud. “There were some counterattacks after, so there was a bit of fighting in the small climbs at the start,” added Rémy Rochas. “After that, the stage was quite typical, but still quite tense in the peloton with some narrow and dangerous portions.” After Mario Aparicio (Burgos BH), Gorka Sorarrain (Caja Rural), Xabier Isasa (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Diego Pablo Sevilla (Polti Kometa) led the race for over one hundred and twenty kilometres, a race incident actually occurred on a rough road. “A big crash happened with thirty-five kilometres to go, and Enzo and Lorenzo were caught in it,” Thierry reported. “There weren’t too many consequences for Lorenzo, but Enzo took a small blow and slightly opened his eyebrow. He was still able to get going again and to complete the stage.”
“It’s a good sign”, Rémy Rochas
Following this race event, the breakaway managed to make his attempt last a bit longer, but everything did get back together with six kilometres to go. “The final was a bit trickly, on small, slightly uphill roads,” added Thierry. “The finish was punchy, but it could also suit the sprinters.” “Overall, the stage went well for the team, and we worked well for Matt and me,” added Rémy. “In the final, Matt felt good, so we wanted to make the sprint for him. It was a bit difficult to get all together, but with 2k to go, I found Olivier and we got back into position. There was an attack from Cepeda on the first ramps, I followed him straight away and he stopped his effort. I turned around, Matt was right behind me, which meant he was feeling good. After the last corner, I didn’t hesitate, and I opened the sprint”. His British teammate, however, lost some positions and was unable to get back in the last 200 metres. “Matt was a bit behind and he kept his position until the line”, said Thierry. Ultimately, Rémy Rochas was able to continue his effort in order to take fourth place on the line, while Caleb Ewan won the stage.
“It’s disappointing because I think I had the legs to win today”, confessed Rémy. “If I had played my card, I would probably have been more conservative on this final climb to sprint in the last few metres. Today, I really opened early but that’s how it is.” “It’s a shame,” confirmed Thierry. “We have real regrets because we could have done much better than that today. It’s a lost opportunity.” “It’s still a good sign for the next days,” added Rémy. “The form is there and the whole team is doing well. I’m looking forward to the next stage.” Tomorrow, stage 3 will finish at the top of the Lagunas de Neila on Wednesday. “This stage should suit Rémy,” concluded Thierry. “We’ll have to see how it unfolds, because there was quite a bit of chaos today and it’s going to change things a bit for the overall, which will be partly decided tomorrow.”
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