Critérium du Dauphiné Stage 2: Alaphilippe Top 15 Again

Critérium du Dauphiné Stage 2: Alaphilippe Top 15 Again

Etixx - Quick-Step rider Julian Alaphilippe finished 15th for the second consecutive stage, this time in 173km Critérium du Dauphiné Stage 2, from Le Bourget-du-Lac to Parc des Oiseaux Villars-les-Dombes, which ended in a group arrival on Monday.

Nacer Bouannni (Cofidis) won the stage. Samuel Dumoulin (AG2R - La Mondiale) was 2nd, and Sacha Modolo (Lampre-Merida) was 3rd.

Alaphilippe is now 10th GC (+12"), with the 24.5km TTT from Roanne to Montagny taking place on Tuesday.

The race came back together with 3.2km to go. Arnaud Corteille (FDJ), Perig Quemeneur (Europcar), and Daniel Teklehaimanot (MTN - Qhubeka) held more than a minute advantage going into the final 10 kilometers, but the peloton chased hard to ensure the bunch sprint. A crash with about 21km to go in the race held up many in the peloton, and caused temporary nervousness as to the organization of the chase and if there might be gaps at the finish. But Lampre-Merida, Cofidis, and other teams moved to the front, and many of the riders caught behind the crash were able to catch back on.