AG2R rider takes over general classification

Blel Kadri was able to best deal with the early start time of 8:50am and survived his break at the Rout du Sud with a few seconds over the raging peloton. Kadri and Matthieu Sprick attacked at kilometer eight and stayed away. Kadri took over the general classification lead with his first ever pro victory.

The home win was celebrated by the AG2R La Mondiale rider. “It is my first victory since turning professional and of course I am super content – especially since it happened at the Route du Sud, right in my area!”

But a little difficulty in the parcours with two kilometers remaining almost stopped the duo. “I doubted it when we came to the rise, since we only had a few seconds. I knew that if the peloton catches us, it would be all over. Right away, I told myself ‘That is really unlucky,’ but it ended well.”

In the afternoon, the second part of the split stage is an individual time trial over 16.2 kilometers. “Now I will give everything in the afternoon time trial to keep the jersey, but no matter what happens, I won’t be disappointed, as I know I have given it my best.”

His director, Julien Jurdie, was equally happy. “It’s obviously a nice satisfaction for all of the team, because it had been a while since we were victorious.” The last success was Martin Elmiger’s win in the 4 Jours de Dunkerque. “We finished third, fifth, seventh – it was really frustrating.”

After Sprick and Kadri broke clear, the gap stayed at only 40 seconds for around 30km. The split stage was extremely short, only 82km had to be covered. “Also, two kilometers from the line we thought it was all over, with a little rise, but they managed to conserve a few seconds over the bunch,” said Jurdie. “The finish was a little stressful, but I knew that Blel has a good finish compared to Sprick.”

The leader’s jersey was an added bonus. “We profited from the time bonuses along the way,” Jurdie said. “He will suffer this afternoon in a hill time trial, but we known that a leader’s jersey offers wings. We also have a second cart with John [Gadret], who can win a stage on the terrain he enjoys.”

Stage 2a results

1 Blel Kadri (AG2R)
2 Matthieu Sprick (Bouygues Telecom)

Overall after stage 2a

1 Blel Kadri (AG2R)