Day 2 – The race continues towards Aubrac

The riders set off on a 205 km course in Aubrac. Watch out for slippery grass, which is quite soaked.

Unpredictable weather

On the second day of the Trèfle Lozérien AMV 2024, the riders set off on a beautiful 205 km course in Aubrac. Watch out for slips on the rather soaked grass.

Before getting to the story of the day, let’s take a quick look at the women’s category. There are 8 women competing for the ranking. Leading after the first day is Rose Allègre-Roumec. In her fourth participation, the young rider from Ville-neuve wants to confirm her second-place finish from last year.

In the overall top 10, there’s only one change. Jérémy Miroir is no longer in it, while #22 Enzo Marchal, very pleased with his day, climbs two spots to 10th. The rider from Auvergne hasn’t raced in a classic for two years, but his versatility is paying off in Lozère.

From 10th to 7th place, less than 20 seconds separate the riders, and it’s a surprise to find Till de Clercq there. The defending champion finishes the last two special stages in 23rd and 50th place. A tough weekend for De Clercq, now in 9th. A lot of mistakes and still mastering his new bike. As a result, his teammate, Luc Fargier, overtakes him and climbs to 8th place in the standings. The young rider continues his Trèfle debut with the 6th best time in the first special, despite a fall in the final stage.

The best overall move goes to Alexis Beaud… gaining 3 places. The Husqvarna rider is now in 7th. Thanks to a strong 4th place in SP4, even though he fell in La Vabre. A nice battle for 5th place between Killian Lunier and Hugo Blanjoue. Disappointed, the rider from Mende couldn’t find the grip he wanted. Some good moments but not enough consistency. He thus loses his place to Hugo Blanjoue. Steady but cautious in SP4 and SP5, the day remains decent for the Honda rider. The two men are separated by less than 5 seconds.

Valérian Debaud in the Top 3

Another French duel for 3rd place this time: Jérémy Tarroux and Valérian Debaud. Even though Tarroux didn’t feel very comfortable. The goal: not to fall. In this little game, he beats his rival in SP2 and SP4. Debaud returns the favor in SP1 and SP3. The conditions, the support from the crowd… The rider without a team ultimately dominates Tarroux in SP5 and stays 3rd overall by just over 5 seconds. He aimed for the top 5, and he’s on track to secure his first podium at the Trèfle Lozérien AMV.

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Josep Garcia takes the lead in the standings.

The Spaniard is therefore leading the daily standings by a large margin ahead of Verona. Tarroux still manages to gain seven small tenths on Debaud, and we then find the general standings contenders, except for Julien Gauthier… who achieved a nice 8th place today.

The opposite of Andrea Verona. Leader this morning, the Italian felt better and better as the day went on, but he made too many mistakes. Verona is now in 2nd, 15 seconds behind. He’s hoping for a reversal of starting order tomorrow. The top riders will start last. On the other hand, Josep Garcia couldn’t have asked for a better day… 5 special stages and 5 scratch times. He takes the lead by a large margin, very close to a third victory at the Trèfle Lozérien AMV. The Spaniard particularly appreciated starting in the order of the general standings.