The Belgian continues to be well-placed at this week’s French race.
On paper, the second stage of the Quatre Jours de Dunkerque had a parcours that the attackers could have found appealing, but in the end, the sprinters were again those to take center stage at the end of the day. Once again, a five-man breakaway was at the front and forced the peloton to work hard in order to bring them back, which happened six kilometers from the finish.
Launched by Andrea Raccagni, Gil Gelders accelerated on the last hill and took maximum points, which now puts him into contention for the KOM jersey. The sprint was a hectic one, won by Lewis Askey (Groupama-FDJ), while Gelders concluded in the same time and remained in the top ten overall, where he sits thanks to the bonus seconds he grabbed on the opening day, when he was in the day-long breakaway.
The general classification could change on Friday, when the riders will tackle a total of twelve cobblestone section which have the potential to widen the gaps before the weekend.
Photo credit: ©Luc Claessen / Getty Images
