Team TotalEnergies continue to dominate at La Tropicale Amissa Bongo with a second stage win for the team. Frenchman Jason Tesson took the final sprint after 108km from Oyem to Mitzic ahead of teammate Emilien Jeanniere and Alexander Salby (Bingol-VB).
The relatively flat stage took riders south from Oyem on the N2. Today’s course consisted of alternating intermediate sprint and KOM points starting just 18km in. Riders earned the first KOM points of the day at 42km before it went back to the fast men at 60km. The final climb at 87km set riders up for the final sprint points at 100km and the finish just 11km later. The finale featured a small incline at about 2.5km to go before flattening out, a small drop, and then an uphill drag to the finish. It would still prove to be a day for sprinters, but they had to keep things close at the end to limit the possibility of a rider taking a chance on a late break.
Throughout the stage, breakaways tried to get away, with little success. Moïse Mugisha (RWA), Aklilu Arefayne (ERI) and Salah Eddine Cherki (ALG) all took chances working off the front, but the strength of TotalEnergies and Bingol-VB kept breaks in check. Both teams were working to protect their General Classification interests with Geoff Soupe and Jeanniere in the top five for TotalEnergies and Louis Blouwe for Bingol-VB.
As the race came to a close, a large bunch sprint rushed to the line with Tesson leading the way. Jeanniere followed behind with Alexander Salby (Bingol-VB), Henok Mulueberhan (Eritrea) and Renus Uhiriwe Byiza (Rwanda) rounding out the top 5. GC leader Soupe crossed in 14th with the same time, securing his second day in yellow.
On Wednesday, the race continues from Lebamba to Mouila. The 123km route consists of the highest climb of the race about 7km in at Panneau Virage À Droite. After the day’s only KOM points, one small climb about 15km stands between riders and three intermediate sprints and a rolling final few kilometers to the end. An uphill finish about 500m from the line will challenge the sprinters.
Stage 2
- TESSON Jason (TEN) 2h28’21”
- JEANNIERE Emilien (TEN) 2h28’21”
- SALBY Alexander (BWB) 2h28’21”
- MULUEBERHAN Henok (ERI) 2h28’21”
- UHIRIWE BYIZA Renus (RWA) 2h28’21”
General Classification After stage 2
- SOUPE Geoffrey (TEN) 5h28’37”
- TESSON Jason (TEN) 5h28’38”
- BARTHE Cyril (BBH) 5h28’43”
- JEANNIERE Emilien (TEN) 5h28’44”
- BLOUWE Louis (BWB) 5h28’44”
KOM Classification After stage 2
- ANGULO Antonio (BBH) 5
- AREFAYNE Aklilu (ERI) 5
- APARICIO Mario (BBH) 5
- DAUMONT Paul (BUR) 5
- MUGISHA Moise (RWA) 3
Sprint Classification After stage 2
- BARTHE Cyril (BBH) 7
- DAUMONT, Paul (BUR) 6
- ACHETKUEYINYI Aurelien (CMR) 4
- SABBAHI El Houcaine (MAR) 4
- SOUPE Geoff (TEN) 3
Points Classification After stage 2
- JANNIERE Emilien (TEN) 48
- TESSON Jason (TEN) 47
- MULUEBERHAN Henok (ERI) 46
- SOUPE Geoffrey (TEN) 37
- BERHANE Natnael (BEY) 34
Best Young Rider Classification After stage 2
- BLOUWE Louis (BWB) 5h28’44”
- MULUEBERHAN Henok (ERI) 5h28’48”
- AREFAYBE Aklilu (ERI) 5h28’48”
- ED-DOGHMY Achraf (MAR) 5h28’49”
- AMARI Hamza (ALG) 5h28’50”
Team Classification After stage 2
- Team TotalEnergies (France) 16h26’30”
- Bingoal-WB (Belgium) 16h26’30”
- Erythree 16h26’30”
- EF Education-Nippo DT (USA) 16h26’30”
- Rwanda 16h26’30”
Based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Scott joined Bike World News as the Cyclocross Editor in 2012 before taking over as Tech Editor in 2016. He has also worked as a photographer for various pro teams and shoot races along the east coast of the US, including the 2012 US MTB National Championships, 2013 UCI Cyclocross World Championships, and 2016 UCI Road World Championships. Scott has a passion for performance and technology, with 35 years of riding and mechanic experience. He also enjoys soccer, running, teaching group fitness classes, and is the founder of Lancaster Beard Company.
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