Preview Etoile de Bessèges 2026 stage 2 - Dylan Groenewegen the main favourite to win bunch sprint
CyclingWednesday, 04 February 2026 at 16:29
The 2026 Etoile de Bessèges will be taking place from the 4th to the 8th of February and is the first stage-race of the season in France, and one of the first in Europe. We preview stage 2, which is set to start at 12:25 and finish at 16:15CET.
One of the cornerstone early-season stage races on the European cycling calendar... First held in 1971 as a one-day event called the Grand Prix Bessèges, it evolved into a multi-day stage race by 1974 and has been a five-day fixture almost every year since, marking the dawn of the professional road season in southern France each February.
Over the decades there has been a wide variety of winners in this race, big names who have marked generations: Jan Raas, Eddy Planckaerts, Adrie van der Poel, Robbie McEwen, Thomas Voeckler... This decade we have seen GC wins from Benoît Cosnefroy, Tim Wellens, Benjamin Thomas, Neilson Powless, Mads Pedersen and most recently Kévin Vauquelin who dominated the 2025 edition with victories at the queen stage and final time trial.
Stage 2 is going to be a day for the sprinters, without a doubt. There will be a little bit more climbing throughout the entire stage however the finale is significantly more gentle, and the flat finale into Domessargues will provide the pure sprinters with their chance at success.
The stage is certainly going to finish in a flat bunch sprint and in this field there are two sprinters that stand out above the rest. Dylan Groenewegen and Unibet Rose Rockets have the responsibility, but Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team's Matteo Moschetti can certainly go head-to-head with the Dutchman.
Read also
Profile: Saint-Giles - Domessargues
Stage 2: Saint-Gilles - Domessargues, 162.8 kilometers
Prediction Etoile de Bessèges 2026 stage 2:
*** Dylan Groenewegen, Matteo Moschetti
** Alexis Renard
* Henri Uhlig, Cyril Barthe, Rasmus Sojberg Pedersen, Sandy Dujardin, Manuel Peñalver, Attilio Viviani
** Alexis Renard
* Henri Uhlig, Cyril Barthe, Rasmus Sojberg Pedersen, Sandy Dujardin, Manuel Peñalver, Attilio Viviani
Pick: Dylan Groenegen
How: Regular bunch sprint.
Original: Rúben Silva
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- I am breaking pre WWII records in several sports, and even doped no-one is beating Bolts’ records, don’t mix everything up. Adding a turbo to the fastest car of the 90s didn’t make it faster than what’s available today. We are still a long way from having attained peak human, just like peak intelligence, (though tech has and AI will make much of society dumb down).Mistermaumau04-02-2026
- That last paragraph is a mess of a statement.Mistermaumau04-02-2026
- Well Armstrong went out of his way to destroy Greg behind the scenes. He mentions Armstrong and not the others because its personal.bleedsblue04-02-2026
- TVL is wrong no matter what they do. Race aggressively like they did at TDF last year, and critics howl that they are just making things worse by wearing themselves out and giving UAE a free ride. But when they don't attack they are criticized for refusing to fight. Now they are wrong to let Jonas, one of the two great GC riders of his era, have a chance to complete the career GT grand slam. Never mind that TVL won 2 of the 3 GTs last year, plus TDFF. All we need to know is that they are doing it wrong all the time.MidnightRider04-02-2026
- Look. Greg is a legend. What he did without doping is amazing. However. He has a personal grudge against Armstrong, some of it is absolutely justified. Lance was reportedly not a very nice guy. I think that worked against him also. If Lance had been nice to people I don't think any of this ever comes out like it did. And there is absolutely justification on Lances part, whether you think it was right or wrong, I feel its legit. With that said. I can guarantee Greg thinks Pogacar is doping. I mean Pogacar is breaking Armstrongs records, who was doping. Doesn't add up.bleedsblue04-02-2026
- Yes, but as they played their part in their “failure” I wouldn’t include this instance, neither the one where MVDP helped his teammate win podium glory after their 170km breakaway duo. Speaking of cruelty, kudos on Guardiola for daring to speak out against his employer. Bet none of the cycling squad will.Mistermaumau04-02-2026
- That was Alessandro De Marchi Yeah, that sport can sometimes be cruelBM04-02-2026
- Hey Patrick, Public talk is cheap, sounds very much to me like the contract just wasn’t worth the paper it was on. If you were convinced, you’d sue no matter how rich the other party, it’s not that easy to circumvent law. Mbappé managed, WVA didn’t, it all depends on specifics, which you totally avoid divulging. This is by far not the first such case in cycling. Something tells me some of those buy-out clauses might not be totally kosher, perhaps more like a scarecrow for the non-initiated?Mistermaumau04-02-2026
- Hey Patrick, Public talk is cheap, sounds very much to me like the contract just wasn’t worth the paper it was on. If you were convinced, you’d sue no matter how rich the other party, it’s not that easy to circumvent law. Mbappé managed, WVA didn’t, it all depends on specifics, which you totally avoid divulging. This is by far not the first such case in cycling and if you hate everyone who breaks a rule, you’ve not got many people left to like in cycling. Perhaps wait before making a big fuss over one bad call like yours, especially since it didn’t stop you making many others concerning other matters.Mistermaumau04-02-2026
- Exactly, hopefully for the guy Unibet won’t be challenging Ineos too often so he doesn’t regret the move.Mistermaumau04-02-2026
Loading
Write a comment