"My legs are there, so I'm going to try again" - Brilliant Bruno Armirail has heart broken in foggy finale to stage 2 of Criterium du Dauphine

Having attacked early on to form the breakaway of the day on stage 2 of the 2024 Criterium du Dauphine, the brilliant Bruno Armirail lasted all he way until the final 200 metres before he finally caught by the remainder of the peloton.

"It came down to 200 metres, maybe 150! So it's obviously a big disappointment," the 30-year-old Frenchman, who came so close to adding another victory to Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team's stunning 2024 season, reflected in his post-stage interview. "I was so close to the finish and there was victory at stake, as well as the yellow jersey."

In the end, it was Uno-X Mobility's Magnus Cort Nielsen who took victory on the day ahead of Primoz Roglic and Matteo Jorgenson, with Armirail being forced to settle for 33rd after a thrilling finale. Nevertheless, because of his efforts in the breakaway all day, the former Maglia Rosa wearer at the 2023 Giro d'Italia has risen to 4th place in the general classification.

Despite the disappointment Armirail remains optimistic as well. "All the same, my legs are still there, so I'm going to try again during the week," concludes the former French national time-trial champion. "It was a great breakaway and we knew there was a small chance. It's also encouraging for the time trial on Wednesday, so I hope I can go out and get a good result."