Baudin scores couble victory in Limousin; dsm-firmenich PostNL edges UAE-Team Emirates by narrow margin in Denmark

While the cycling world’s attention is primarily focused on the start of the Vuelta a España this Saturday in Lisbon, the professional peloton continues to race in both France and Denmark (and of course, there’s also the Tour de France Femmes). In Eastern France, the second stage of the Tour of Limousin was on the agenda, promising excitement with its hilly finish.

Orluis Aular won the first stage of the French race on Tuesday, with a strong final sprint in the mass finish. Whether the second stage would also end in a mass sprint was far from certain: the stage featured six categorized climbs in the final. With strong punchers like Benoît Cosnefroy, Dorian Godon, and Valentin Madouas in the mix, it was almost certain they would prevent pure sprinters from claiming the stage win. The race started in an easterly direction from Saint-Aulaye-Puymangou and finished in Terrasson-Lavilledieu after nearly 194 kilometers.

As expected, there was a breakaway group, though it didn’t include many standout names. Alexis Gougeard (Cofidis) was probably the most notable, but Mirco Maestri (Polti-Kometa) was also a familiar face. Along with six other riders, they formed an eight-man breakaway, which gained a maximum lead of around three minutes. In the peloton, it was primarily Caja Rural, Aular’s team, handling the chase and keeping the gap from growing too large.

Caja Rural, along with a few other teams, effectively reeled in the breakaway group, bringing the race back together. This led to a series of new attacks, many of which unfortunately came to nothing. Or did they? With seven kilometers to go, Baudin (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) launched a solo attack. He quickly gained a significant lead, with his advantage growing to nearly thirty seconds. Behind him, riders were hesitant and looked at each other, which played into the Frenchman's hands. As a result, Baudin was able to celebrate his victory (and double win) solo, despite the pouring rain.

In Eastern Denmark, it was time for the opening stage of the Tour of Denmark: a 13.7-kilometer team time trial starting and finishing in Holstebro. This was a first for the race, as Danmark Rundt had never before included a team time trial. The five-day stage race attracted several national riders to the start, including Magnus Cort (Uno-X), Tobias Lund Andresen (dsm-firmenich PostNL), Søren Kragh Andersen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), and Mikkel Bjerg (UAE-Team Emirates). Also traveling to Denmark were Tour sensation Frank van den Broek (also dsm-firmenich PostNL) and the always speedy Arvid de Kleijn (Tudor).

At 16:15 pm (CEST), dsm-firmenich PostNL took to the stage as the first team to roll off the start podium. And what happened? The time set by the Dutch team (14:30 CEST) went unmatched by any other team! The riders were able to stay in the hot seat throughout, though UAE-Team Emirates came very close (and that’s putting it mildly). The Middle Eastern team "lost" by just half a second, while Lotto-Dstny completed the proverbial podium with a two-second deficit. Andresen, in his home country, became the first leader of the multi-day race.