Marco Frigo put in an incredible solo attack on stage 2 of Tour de la Provence but unfortunately, he had to see his courageous attempt neutralized with just 500 meters to go. Riley Sheehan moved up to fourth place in the general classification.
“I was feeling really good today and it’s a pity I was caught so close to the finish, but that’s cycling. I’m really happy with my performance out there”, Frigo said after the stage.
Knowing that Saturday’s queen stage of the race was going to be a hard and undulating one, Frigo was already determined to get in the breakaway right from the beginning of the day. IPT’s strong Italian made sure to get up and road and together with four other riders, the group opened up a gap of two and a half minutes on the peloton.
In the final 50 km, Frigo sensed that he had to go solo to have a chance of pulling off his big plan and with 40 km left to go, he went away on his own.
“I gave it a good go on the climb and then I went full gas on the descent and of course, I took some risks but I think I did my best. The guys in the team car behind me were cheering for me and giving me a lot of motivation so I believed I could do it. However, at the end, I was on the limit and the group chasing me was really strong. It’s a shame it finished like this, but I’m still really happy with my race today.”
Sheehan, too, was on a good day. Being just a few seconds off the podium, the American neo-pro made sure always to stay near the front. At the end, he finished sixth on the stage as Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) took the win. Frigo crossed the line in 11th place and he’s now 10th overall. Frigo is also the new leader of the KOM classification.
Tomorrow, Tour de la Provence finishes with a flat stage that could prove more challenging than it looks due to the risk of strong crosswind throughout the day.
