In sprinting, one Briton can always hide another. After Noah Hobb’s victory in Saint-Galmier, Great Britain scored a second consecutive win thanks to Elliot Rowe, this time by a narrow margin, practically on the same line as Germany’s Louis Leidert.
But unlike the first stage, this one significantly changed the overall standings, as seventeen riders, grouped together at the front in several waves following a fast start with more than 45 km covered in the first hour, battled for victory in Vitry-en-Charollais.
The peloton, which more or less let them get away due to the inability of some teams to control the unbridled start of the race, conceded 2’27” at the finish line, but Paul Seixas, the leader since the prologue, had known for some time that he would lose the yellow jersey. He did so graciously, as it was another rider from the French team, Maxime Decomble, the best placed in the general classification among the attackers, who became the new leader of the race. “It wasn’t necessarily the plan to go in the breakaway with the intention of winning stages, but we never missed a beat, we were always at the front, it was great,” reported the new wearer of the CIC Yellow Jersey, who therefore remains in the French team.
Well done to the Tricolores (Louka Lesueur was also in the breakaway, which he helped initiate) who were able to participate in this move without burning too many bridges, on the pretext that Paul Seixas’ chances had to be preserved, while allowing him to conserve his energy.
As for Maxime Decomble, 20, from La Ciotat in Provence, he has a fairly well-rounded profile, as he showed in the recent Alpes Isère Tour (2nd) and in time trials, where he was French junior champion in 2024 (2nd in 2025). The relatively comfortable margin he now has gives him hope for a great adventure in this Tour de l’Avenir, even if his position in no way compromises Paul Seixas’ interests, on the contrary: “This will spare Paul Seixas the protocols,” emphasized Maxime Decomble, a member of the Groupama-FDJ “conti” team before joining the World Tour ranks within this formation in 2026.
The third stage, from Etang-sur-Arroux (Saône-et-Loire) to Chatillon-sur-Chalaronne (Ain) over 158.6 km, could offer another opportunity for the sprinters, as well as a day that could be controlled by a sparkling French team.
