Critérium du Dauphiné 2023: Alaphilippe wins uphill sprint, Laporte retains yellow

fotobureau Cor VosJulian Alaphilippe sprints to victory at the end of a race with 2,900 vertical metres. He outguns Richard Carapaz and Natnael Tesfatsion, while Christophe Laporte finishes in fourth to retain the yellow jersey. (Slideshow route/profile)

Results 2nd stage 2023 Critérium du Dauphiné

1. Julian Alaphilippe (fra)
2. Richard Carapaz (ecu) s.t.
3. Natnael Tesfatsion (eri) s.t.
4. Christophe Laporte (fra) s.t.
5. Maxim Van Gils (bel) s.t.
6. Robert Stannard (aus) s.t.
7. Fred Wright (gbr) s.t.
8. Ocar Onley (gbr) s.t.
9. Marco Brenner (ger) s.t.
10. Clément Champoussin (fra) s.t.

GC after stage 2
1. Christophe Laporte (fra)
2. Julian Alaphilippe (fra) s.t.
3. Richard Carapaz (ecu) + 0.04
4. Rune Herregodts (bel) + 0.06
5. Maxim Van Gils (bel) + 0.10
6. Robert Stannard (aus) s.t.
8. Marco Brenner (ger) s.t.
9. Clément Champoussin (fra) s.t.
10. Edvald Boasson Hagen (nor) s.t.

Race report
Andrea Piccolo, Jonas Gregaard, Victor Campenaerts and Donavan Grondin jump off the front after 5 kilometres of action. The peloton keeps chasing and Nans Peters, Kenny Elissonde and Pierre Latour manage to bridge across before the gap goes out to 2 minutes. That's all they get.

Grondin cements his KOM lead in the first climbs of the day before he is dropped from the lead group shortly after entering the final circuit.

Campenaerts and Elissonde are the last attackers to be reeled in with 10 kilometres to go. Tobias Bayer and Harry Sweeny both try their lluck, but to no avail.

The race comes down to a group sprint on the uphill home straight in La Chaise-Dieu. Sam Bennett fades away and it's the strongmen sprinters who prevail. Richard Carapaz opens his sprint with grinta, but it's Julian Alaphilippe who wins the race in commanding style. Natnael Tesfatsion finishes in third before race leader Christophe Laporte comes home in fourth.

Another interesting read: route 2nd stage 2023 Critérium du Dauphiné.