Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale outshines stars from Visma, UAE, and Lidl-Trek: "We'll give everything to defend the leader's jersey"

First, let's head to Burgos, where the third stage was scheduled for Thursday. The race was decided on and after the Puerto de Orduña, where Bisiaux jumped with Lidl-Trek leader Giulio Ciccone. The Frenchman had to contend with Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS Astana), and Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and made clever use of the presence of the big names. Bisiaux jumped away and stayed away.

It was Bisiaux's first professional victory, and to top it off, he also took the leader's jersey. “It was a good day on the bike,” he said to his team with a sense of understatement. “I took advantage of the fact that the others were watching each other and attacked 700 meters from the finish. I tried to open up a gap, and when I looked back, I saw that I had succeeded. I gave everything until the finish. Now I hope to defend the leader's jersey, with Saturday's big stage ahead of us.”

An hour after the finish in Burgos, Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale struck again, once more with a double victory. In the second stage of the Tour de l'Ain, Prodhomme reacted just as attentively to an attack by Uijtdebroeks as Bisiaux did to Ciccone. Until this year, the 28-year-old Frenchman was a rider who rode for others and never won himself, but Thursday's stage victory was already his fifth stage win this year and in his career. In May, he won another Giro stage (photo).

He also took the leader's jersey and will try to defend it when the Tour de l'Ain reaches its conclusion on Friday over the Col de la Colombier. “We came here with ambitious goals and wanted to try something today. It was up to Visma | Lease a Bike to take risks, and I had to respond. I followed Uijtdebroeks' attack and won the sprint. I am pleased with my leading position, and we will give everything to defend it on Friday.”