Published on : 06/19/2026
Stage 2 of the Route d'Occitanie, between Cordes-sur-Ciel and Saint-Gaudens (200.4 km), wrapped up on Friday. After a tricky finale with repeated uphill kicks, Ion Izagirre finished 12th in the uphill sprint, while Jamie Meehan, wearing the white jersey, now sits 4th in the general classification.
The mood was high at the start with a surprise visit from Anthony Perez on the bus, before the race got underway. Six riders animated the opening kilometres before a lone attacker tried his luck 30 kilometres from the finish. Caught by a grouped peloton at the bell, the stage came down to an uphill sprint where Ion Izagirre crossed the line in 12th place.
Benjamin Giraud, sporting director:
"A transition stage today ahead of the mountains. We tried to be active in the finale with Ion Izagirre, particularly to contest the last bonus sprint around ten kilometres from the finish. Unfortunately he wasn't able to take any bonus seconds, finishing 4th or 5th there. In the finale we ended up in a sprint again like yesterday, where Ion tried to contest it but without a significant result, finishing 12th. See you tomorrow for the mountain stage."