"Not too bad sprint result for a guy who weighs 63 kg" - Axel Laurance defies odds to finish second in a Dauphiné sprint
Cycling
Despite the presence of sprinter big guns (quite literally) such as Jonathan Milan and Soren Waerenskjold, the fifth stage of Criterium du Dauphiné came to a surprising conclusion with Jake Stewart (Israel - Premier Tech) as a winner. And right behind him, an INEOS Grenadiers jersey of Axel Laurance. The 24-year-old Frenchman couldn't really hide his surprise after that result.
"It's not too bad bunch sprint result for a guy who weighs 63 kg," Laurance tells Eurosport after the arrival with a smile. "I think it's not that bad, I felt really good all day. I felt like I had speed, it was a bit hard to know if I was going left or right, and then it's still very fast and with my weight I think that as soon as I start to catch the wind, then it's a bit more complicated."
Lidl-Trek did a perfect leadout for their leader Jonathan Milan, but the Italian's legs were ultimately way too emptied by the hard stage and so it was another man who benefitted from his team's hard work. "The Lidl-Trek sent Jonathan Milan well but sometimes it's a bit like Tim Merlier, a little bit from behind, when there's a lot of speed it makes the difference and Jake Stewart launched at the perfect moment."
Laurance found himself on the perfect wheel of Stewart and that allowed him to sprint to a rather surprising second place after a hard day. "I was well placed, then it's always about knowing how to pace yourself to make the right effort at the right time, it's never easy but sometimes you have to know how to hurt yourself before the sprint to favor the pure sprint positioning."
Thinking back to Laurance's crash at the Tour of Norway last month, this result comes as a reassurement of his good shape in view to French championships two weeks from now.
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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