INTERVEW | Axel Laurance expects “another really stressful day” as wet weather hits Tour de France

Axel Laurance, the 24-year-old French rider for INEOS Grenadiers, braced for another chaotic day at the Tour de France as rain and narrow roads set the tone for Stage 2. Speaking to CyclingUpToDate ahead of the stage in Lauwin-Planque, Laurance reflected on a bruising opener and anticipated more of the same, or worse, with wet roads and a punchy finale in store.

“It was really stressful, a lot of speed,” Laurance said. “Everybody wants to be in a good position… you are close to each other riding 60 km an hour. So this is pretty stressful… and yeah, we knew it could happen.”

The young Frenchman pointed to the dense road furniture, bollards, medians, and signs, as another compounding factor.

“Like all the other teams, you want to be there, but there is no space for everybody… this is always tense and also with all the road furniture of cornering.”

Stage 2 features a 209-kilometer route across tight northern French roads, now slick with rain. The forecast and profile suggest a combative, attritional day in the bunch.

“I think with the rain, the wet roads… also the road furniture, they are pretty important in France now. And yeah, also the risk of wind in the final, I think again a really stressful day,” Laurance said.

With a technical finish and potential splits late on, the question remains whether a small group or solo rider will make the difference.

“For sure not everybody will be there at the finish because also the roads are pretty narrow,” he said. “So it's not going to be easy and for sure some people will try something.”

Asked about personal ambitions, Laurance said INEOS had a flexible approach for the finale.

“Yeah, I think we have a good duo,” he said. “It's always good to have a few cards to play in the final… we just try our best and one of us will have to do the best result.”