Benoît Cosnefroy turned a sprint day into a UAE Team Emirates-XRG win with a late attack on stage 2 of the Tour de Hongrie.
The French rider won the 205.8km stage from Szarvas to Paks in 4 hours, 20 minutes and 51 seconds, two seconds ahead of Alexis Renard of Cofidis and Max Kanter of XDS Astana Team. The result also moved Cosnefroy into the overall race lead.
The stage had looked set for the sprinters, especially after Tim Merlier won the opening day. But crosswinds changed the shape of the race inside the final 25km.
Cofidis forced the first split, and UAE Team Emirates-XRG were quick to respond. All six of their riders made the front echelon, leaving Merlier behind and giving Sebastián Molano a possible route to another strong finish after his second place on stage 1.
Instead, Cosnefroy saw his chance.
Benoît Cosnefroy took stage 2 of the Tour de Hongrie and moved into the race lead
He went clear with a small group before teammate Rui Oliveira joined him late in the stage. Oliveira then worked hard on the front to keep the move alive as the bunch closed in.
With around 600 metres remaining, Cosnefroy attacked again. He held off the chase to take the stage win and the yellow jersey.
It was his second victory of the season, coming less than a week after he won the Grand Prix du Morbihan. Cyclingnews also reported that Cosnefroy had picked up bonus seconds during stage 1, which helped put him in the general classification picture before Thursday’s stage.
Cosnefroy now leads the race by four seconds from Kristian Egholm of Lidl-Trek. Merlier is six seconds back, with Molano fourth at 10 seconds.
“The first idea was to sprint with Sebas Molano, but I stayed in the front with Vegard and Cofidis started to pull very hard,” Cosnefroy said.
“For me, it was a good opportunity to try for victory. In the final, I didn’t have very good legs, but Rui worked very well for me.”
Cosnefroy said the attack was not part of the morning plan, but the race situation opened the door.
“I saw the bunch, and so I thought I would go on the attack and see,” he said. “In the end, it is an amazing victory for me, so I am really happy for the team. They work every day for me and this victory is for us.”
UAE Team Emirates also had success in Portugal, where 18-year-old Matvei Boldyrev won stage 1 of the Volta a Portugal do Futuro for the team’s Gen Z squad.
Boldyrev won solo in Oleiros, finishing 41 seconds ahead of teammate Jaime Torres, who completed a UAE one-two. Portuguese reports also confirmed Boldyrev as the first race leader after the opening stage from Abrantes to Oleiros.
The four-day race gives young riders a chance to test themselves in stage racing conditions. For Boldyrev, it was his first win since joining UAE Team Emirates Gen Z earlier this year.
