SAN SEBASTIAN, Spain — It took a late breakaway by Victor Lafay for French team Cofidis to end its 15-year winless streak at the Tour de France.
Cofidis won the second stage on Sunday after Lafay moved to the front and held off a late charge by the favorites to clinch the stage victory, with Adam Yates keeping the overall lead after the opening two stages in northern Spain.
Cofidis hadn’t won in the Tour de France since Sylvain Chavanel was first across the line in the 19th stage of the 2008 edition of cycling’s biggest race.
“It’s a relief for Cofidis to finally get a stage win,” Lafay said. “I’ve been hearing about this for five years since I joined the team. I’m happy to free the team from this burden. We’ll keep going. We want more.”
The French rider took the lead with a bit more than a half-mile to go and held on in what was the Tour’s longest stage this year. The peloton came charging at the end but couldn’t catch up with Lafay ahead of the finish line.