Published on : 08/26/2026
After winning the opening stage, Milan Fretin was once again in the mix this Wednesday at the Tour du Poitou-Charentes en Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The Belgian sprinter took 2nd place in Lezay and retained his overall leader’s jersey.
The riders faced almost 200 kilometres between Puilboreau and Lezay. Five riders quickly went clear, and with the overall leader’s jersey in its ranks, Cofidis took responsibility for controlling the gap.
Clément Izquierdo did a huge amount of work at the front of the peloton for much of the day. The breakaway was eventually caught with 10 kilometres to go.
Two riders then tried their luck in the finale before being caught with 3 kilometres remaining. Despite a tricky final circuit with crosswinds and a crash that held up Piet Allegaert with 5 kilometres to go, the team remained focused on supporting Milan Fretin.
The Belgian contested the sprint and finished 2nd, beaten on the line by Jason Tesson. Thanks to another strong result, he retains the overall lead ahead of Thursday’s time trial.
Reaction:
Evaldas Šiškevičius, Sports Director:
“Today, we were the team with the leader’s jersey, so we knew we would have work to do to control the race. Clément Izquierdo did a huge job, riding on the front for almost 160 km, and I want to congratulate him. Then the whole team worked around Milan to protect him.
The final circuit was a little tricky with the crosswinds, but the team did a good job. Unfortunately, with 5 km to go, Piet Allegaert was held up by a crash. That’s what we were missing in the finale to give Milan the perfect lead-out. He still finished second, which is a very good result, and keeps his leader’s jersey. Tomorrow, it’s time for the time trial.”