"I wanted to give the maximum and have fun" - Julian Alaphilippe content with time-trial performance despite losing time

Finishing in 14th position, 1:12 down on the eventual winner Mikkel Bjerg was a respectable individual time-trial performance from Soudal - Quick-Step's Julian Alaphillipe and he was content with his efforts.

"It was more of a course for specialists, I knew it was going to be complicated to play the leading roles, but I wanted to give the maximum and have fun," the Frenchman who won stage 2 of the 2023 Critérium du Dauphiné revealed in a post-stage interview taken immediately following his individual time-trial efforts.

"I had a heat stroke in the last 10 kilometres, I felt I couldn't accelerate. But I'm happy, I thought I'd lose more on this kind of course, especially since it's been a long time since I didn't set a full time," he continues. "Compared to the specialists, I did what I had to do. The next four days? We've been running well since the start of the Dauphiné, so we'll try to keep our momentum going and to have fun. There will be great things to do in the mountains."

As mentioned the stage was eventually won by UAE Team Emirates' Mikkel Bjerg. In terms of the overall general classification, Alaphilippe has dropped six places but remains in the top 10 in 8th position.