Tour de France: Brit Adam Yates holds onto yellow jersey as Victor Lafay wins stage two

Britain’s Adam Yates retained the yellow jersey in San Sebastian as Victor Lafay used a late attack to end a 15-year wait for the Cofidis team to celebrate a stage victory on day two.

Lafay waited for the flamme rouge to launch his own move, and then held off the chasing pack at the line as pre-stage favourite Wout van Aert slammed his handlebars in frustration having wasted his energy early.

Yates was in a lead group reduced to just 24 riders at the end of the longest stage of this year’s Tour.

He retained yellow as his team-mate Tadej Pogacar used bonus seconds to move up to second, level on time with Yates’ twin brother Simon six seconds back. 

Pogacar had come across the line third on the stage, just ahead of Brit Tom Pidcock and Pello Bilbao. For Cofidis, it is a first stage win since Sylvain Chavanel triumphed in Montlucon in 2008.

Tour favourite Tadej Pogacar (right) finished third overall but got a two-second time bonus for being first to the top of the Jaizkibel climb

Britain’s Adam Yates retained the yellow jersey in San Sebastian despite Lafay’s late attack

The UAE Team Emirates squad of Yates and Pogacar did a huge amount of work almost all day to control a three-man breakaway.

The peloton needed to negotiate some changeable weather that made stretches of this 209km route through the rolling terrain of the Basque Country treacherous.

Adam Yates will now look to hold on to yellow until at least the Pyrenees, with two flat days coming up next and attention turning to the sprinters – not least Mark Cavendish as he seeks a record 35th career Tour stage win.

‘It was a really hectic day, a lot of stress in the bunch,’ 30-year-old Yates said. ‘Wet roads, roundabouts, road furniture, but we made it through.’