Erlend Blikra (Uno-X Pro Cycling) blasted across the finish with fists in the air to win stage 2 of Pays de la Loire Tour. He used a powerful leadout by teammate Stian Fredheim and the duo finished one-two for Uno-X at the line in Le Lion-d'Angers.
A trio of French riders fought close behind for the final podium spot, Pierre Barbier (CIC U Nantes Atlantique) taking third ahead of Lorrenzo Manzin (TotalEnergies) and Arnaud Démare (Groupama-FDJ).
"With just 25 to go, we moved forward as a team. It all flowed together a bit, as we are one of the smallest teams and do not have the same respect in the field as the pros," the 26-year-old Blikra told Feltet.dk after his win.
Article continues below"I end up at the front next to the trains on wheels of TotalEnergies, where suddenly there is a big crash to the right of me. It created more chaos, but I stayed out of trouble."
Entering the stage as race leader, Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) was among the riders who crashed in the finale, but was able to remount and cross the line with two teammates, François Bidard and Pierre-Luc Périchon. He was within 3km of the finish so given the same time as new leader Blikra. Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost) dropped one spot to third overall, one second back, while Alexander Kamp (Tudor Pro Cycling) jumped 34 positions to fourth.
Results
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'Things are really not going our way' – Lotte Kopecky nets another second place for SD Worx-Protime at La Vuelta Femenina
Dutch team struggle to get organised in chase behind stage 3 winner Cédrine Kerbaol -
Vuelta Femenina: Solo raid nets victory on stage 3 for Cedrine Kerbaol
EF Education-Oatly rider succeeds with late breakaway after falling short on stage 2 -
La Vuelta Femenina GC standings – Who is leading the race after stage 3?
General classification standings in the first Grand Tour of 2026 -
As it happened: A surprise late solo move takes the win in stage 3 of the Vuelta Femenina
Relentless ups and downs over the 121.2km from Padrón to A Coruña
