Results Tour de Hongrie 2026 Stage 2 - Benoit Cosnefroy strikes late for UAE to deny sprinters after echelon chaos

Benoit Cosnefroy powered to victory on Stage 2 of the 2026 Tour de Hongrie, timing his late attack perfectly to win in Paks after a chaotic finale that briefly saw echelons, late moves and sprint teams all fighting for control.

The UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider finished ahead of Alexis Renard and Max Kanter, with Elias Maris and Fernando Gaviria completing the top five. Stage 1 winner Tim Merlier crossed the line sixth, while Juan Sebastian Molano took 10th after UAE had helped animate the final kilometres.

The 205.8km stage from Szarvas, the longest of this year’s Tour de Hongrie, began with an active opening before a five-rider breakaway formed. Jakob Soderqvist, Adrian Benito, Kay De Bruyckere, Marko Toth and Mark Varga made up the day’s early move, with all five riders aged 22 or under.

De Bruyckere won the opening intermediate sprint at Kiskunfelegyhaza ahead of Benito and Toth, before Benito hit back to take the second sprint at Kiskoros. The break, though, was never given major freedom. Soudal - Quick-Step, Team Jayco AlUla and Bahrain Victorious were among the teams helping to control the gap, which had dropped below a minute by the final 50km.

The early move was later brought back before Kristian Egholm won the final intermediate sprint at Kalocsa, ahead of Alberto Dainese and Cosnefroy. Erik Fetter then launched a fresh attack, briefly becoming a factor on the road, but the finale changed again when echelons formed inside the final 25km.

Despite only gentle wind being reported, the bunch split before later coming back together, easing the immediate pressure on Merlier after the race leader had been among those caught behind.

The regrouping did not calm the stage for long. A late move containing Mike Teunissen, Soderqvist, Cosnefroy, Rui Oliveira, Andrea Pietrobon, Edoardo Zamperini and Fetter pushed clear before the final kilometres, with Zamperini taking maximum points on the short Tengelic-Szolohegy climb ahead of Pietrobon and Soderqvist.

As the peloton chased behind through Patrick Gamper and Yves Lampaert, the attacks kept coming at the front. Teunissen went clear with just over 5km remaining, Oliveira responded with an acceleration inside the final 3km, and Phil Bauhaus also tried to force the issue from the chasing group.

Cosnefroy then made the decisive move inside the final kilometre. The Frenchman attacked from the front group and held off the fast finishers behind to claim his 23rd professional victory, turning a stage that had long looked destined for another sprint into a late win for UAE Team Emirates - XRG.