Published on : 07/05/2026
In a completely wild stage, where the favourites went head-to-head as expected, Cofidis's two Spanish riders held their own. Present throughout in the leading group, they finished in the "top 30." A very good sign for what's to come.
Another day in Barcelona, another day of furia, another breathtaking finale. Fortunately, the start of the stage brought winding roads down towards the Mediterranean, a chance to breathe in some sea air. What followed was the expected, frantic battle, with blistering pace even on the steepest slopes of the Montjuic castle climb.
Ion and Alex in the right group
The day after the time trial, Cofidis were determined to make their mark, to carve out a place in this clash of titans. From the start, the whole team worked to protect Ion Izagirre and Alex Aranburu. There was a brief scare in the opening kilometres when Milan Fretin and Jenthe Biermans were held up by a crash. Jenthe escaped with a few superficial cuts and was able to get back into the race and continue helping his leaders. On the final circuit, as the peloton whittled down, Ion Izagirre and Alex Aranburu kept clinging on in the leading group. It took an enormous expenditure of energy to hold on for as long as possible. At the finish, Alex crossed the line 24th, 49 seconds behind Isaac del Toro, while Ion Izagirre finished 30th, 1 minute 11 seconds back. A solid performance given how fierce the competition was.
It's already time to recover, as stage 3 promises to be just as gruelling. On the menu: the Tour de France's first category-1 climb (the Col de Toses), four categorised climbs and 195.9 km through the Pyrenees between Granollers and Les Angles. Once again, the riders will need to hold firm before looking ahead to the stage between Carcassonne and Foix, which may suit our team's qualities better.
Reaction:
Ion Izagirre:
"We knew it was going to be a very fast, very tense stage, and that's exactly how it played out. It was stressful from start to finish. We were well aware the big favourites were going to fight it out, but we were determined to hang on. We gave everything in the finale, but also before that: our teammates did a great job getting us well positioned for the final circuit. Now we're going to keep fighting, try to get into breakaways, stay present and give it everything on every stage."