As AG2R deeply struggled in the spring, their focus switches somewhere else. Felix Gall is emerging as an unexpected leader for the French team and has showed his guns on the opening stage of the Tour of the Alps where he's in the battle for the victory.
"I am very happy to start this Tour of the Alps with a second place, especially given the fact that I am racing at home. My feelings were excellent today," Gall said in a post-race interview. Of Austrian nationality, he finds himself racing on home roads at the top level which is a rare occasion. The races also takes place in Italy but it is a region well known to the 25-year old who has been growing inside AG2R and has led it through Itzulia Basque Country - where he finished in the Top10 and now in the Alps.
Gall was under the radar through the opening day as INEOS Grenadiers took responsibility of the race, but had very strong legs in the steep uphill finale. "This start of the Tour is really important for me, I absolutely wanted to be there from the first stage in order to achieve good results at home. I came out of the Tour of the Basque Country extremely tired at the beginning of the month (10th in the final), but I felt that the sensations were coming back little by little. The last days of training have been excellent," he explained.
Gall was not able to match the acceleration of Tao Geoghegan Hart in the final meters but was the closest chaser. He finished second two seconds back, distancing the rest of the competition and being the closest to the Briton at the start of stage two. "I would like to thank all my teammates for the enormous job they have done throughout the stage. And above all Aurélien Paret-Peintre, who did an incredible job to put me in the best conditions at the foot of the final ascent," he concluded.
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Davide11-11-2026 - some of lidl-treks retention and recruiting has been puzzling in the mens and womens teams.Davide11-11-2026
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🇮🇹 @TourOfTheAlps 🤝🏼 Travail d'équipe ⚡️ 🤝🏼 Teamwork ⚡️ #AG2RCITROËNTEAM #RoulonsAutrement #MadeInTheAlps - © Pauline Ballet
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