Grégoire regrets being too much of a coward in Van der Poel’s wheel, Vauquelin surprised by Visma and Jorgenson: "I don't get it"

Behind stage winner and new yellow jersey holder Mathieu van der Poel, second-placed and new polka dot jersey wearer Tadej Pogacar, and third-placed Jonas Vingegaard, it was Romain Grégoire who finished fourth, bluntly put, the best of the non-aliens. “There are a few things I regret because I felt really good,” the Groupama-FDJ puncher told Eurosport. “I focused on Van der Poel’s wheel; he really wanted it. But because of that, I got boxed in.”

Among all those cycling superstars, Grégoire realized he was too cautious. “I didn’t dare use my elbows and shoulders to fight for Van der Poel’s wheel. I regret that. I wouldn’t have beaten them anyway, and third or fourth doesn’t change much, but it’s about the principle and the intention. I would have preferred to fight for his wheel until 200 meters from the finish, and I missed that courage and fighting spirit. Maybe it’s an inferiority complex because I told myself I couldn’t beat them anyway. But even then, it’s worth trying.”

“When I see how I was riding on Saturday, I’m satisfied,” Julian Alaphilippe told L’Équipe with a smile. The Tudor climber was dropped from the wheels in the echelons on Saturday, but on day two he bravely tried to attack in the finale. He never really got away, quickly slotting back into position and sprinting to fifth place. “I reconned this stage twice and really wanted to ride it well. I’m happy I felt better, though I would’ve liked to go for the win. I just got a bit boxed in.”

Seventh place also went to a Frenchman. Aurélien Paret-Peintre, the older brother of Soudal-Quick Step’s Valentin, made Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale proud. “We reconned this stage, and that was a big advantage. After yesterday’s disappointment, I wanted to ride a strong stage and set things right. I finished with the big guns and wasn’t far off on a finish like this. I can’t really do better than this, but a top ten is great for the team,” said the happy finisher.

Kévin Vauquelin finished eighth for Arkéa-B&B Hotels, though it might have been better if he hadn’t already accelerated three times before the final climb. One of those moves looked perfectly timed, but he ended up with Matteo Jorgenson from Visma | Lease a Bike on his wheel, and the American didn’t take turns. “I don’t get it, why didn’t he want to work with me when we got away?” Vauquelin wondered out loud after the stage.

“It could have gone either way, I was really strong,” continued the runner-up from the recent Tour de Suisse. “I’m frustrated, but my legs are good. I knew I’d struggle in a sprint, so I tried to attack. It didn’t work, even though there was a great chance to take the yellow jersey. That’s a dream, and now it’s further away. That’s tough, but we’re going to fight for it in Wednesday’s time trial,” said the new leader of the young rider classification.

Jorgenson was briefly asked about his decision not to pull with Vauquelin. Speaking to CyclingUpToDate, he admitted some regret about his passive approach. “I just followed them, and looking back, I should have worked with him and gone for it.”