Strong legs and good istincts saw the Eritrean net third in the hectic finish of stage two
Natnael Tesfatsion’s first podium in the Trek-Segafredo jersey came from France. On the second stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné, on paper a good day for the sprinters, Natu played his cards in the smartest way, finishing behind Alaphilippe (Soudal-QuickStep) and Carapaz (EF) and ahead of Laporte (Jumbo-Visma).
Honestly, I didn't think the stage could end like this. Everyone expected the sprinters, but that's the beauty of cycling: it’s unpredictabile! I was up at the front mainly to keep the position. The pace was high and lots of people were struggling to stay there. After the flamme rouge, I thought I would follow whoever was in front of me. A strange sprint came out, I didn't hesitate to be in the mix. Alaphilippe was clearly the fastest and the strongest today. By my side, well, I am happy. A third place behind these two riders is not bad at all...
On paper it might not have looked like a demanding stage, but the reality is that it was up and down all day. A bit like what happened yesterday.
On such unpredictable days, you need to be ready. When I feel good, I have the confidence to be there and to play my chances, always. When the legs are there, I rely a lot on instinct. Whether it's an uphill finish or a sprint, it doesnt matter to me. What counts more are the feelings Yes, I believe a lot in myself.
How it happened
Before the final sprint, the stage was animated by a breakaway of seven riders, in which Kenny Elissonde was present. Unfortunately for them, however, the peloton’s desire to keep the race under control was clear from the start, as King Kenny explained after the finish.
The breakaway was well-equipped, there was agreement between us, but the intentions of the ones who were chasing were clear. We had little hope, we knew that, but at that point it was still interesting to try and see how far we could go.
Elissonde, along with Campenaerts (Lotto-Dstny), was the one who held out until the very end against the peloton’s chase, that was completed at 10km to the finish. From there on, a couple of attempts by Bayer (Alpecin) and Sweeny (Lotto-Dstny) came out, but Jumbo-Visma and Soudal-Decenunick kept the situation under control.
Finally, the last kilometre was a crescendo of pace and speed, with Tesfatsion on the wheel of Alaphilippe before sprinting on the right to take third place.
