Dylan Groenewegen falls just short of stage win in Ster van Bessèges, Mathieu Kockelmann takes victory
Mathieu Kockelmann claimed the second stage of the Étoile de Bessèges. After early breakaway rider Arnaud Tendon was caught in the final two hundred meters, the Luxembourger from Lotto-Intermarché sprinted to victory. He beat Dylan Groenewegen and Matteo Moschetti.
On the second day of the Étoile de Bessèges, a slightly hilly stage was on the program. Over 162 kilometers between Saint-Gilles and Domessargues, three categorized climbs had to be tackled. The last official climb — the Côte de Montagnac (1.1 km at 5.4%), which was also climbed earlier in the stage — came just over twenty kilometers from the finish. The last kilometers towards Domessargues also featured a gentle uphill.
Despite the rainy conditions, four riders were eager to get away. They took off early in the stage. Samuel Leroux (TotalEnergies), who had been in the chase group in the opening stage, was the biggest name in the breakaway. He was accompanied by three Continental riders: Arnaud Tendon (Van Rysel Roubaix), Maël Guégan (CIC Pro Cycling Academy), and Axel Bouquet (St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93).
The quartet gained a maximum lead of three minutes. In the peloton, the chase was shared among several teams, including Unibet Rose Rockets, Decathlon CMA CGM, and Flanders-Baloise, led by general classification leader Tom Crabbe. Everything seemed under control, but the final gap was closing slowly. At five kilometers from the line, the three remaining escapees — Bouquet had been dropped — still held a thirty-second advantage.
Soon after, Tendon went solo. The 23-year-old Swiss, national under-23 champion in 2024, opened a nice gap and started the final kilometer with a similarly impressive lead. However, in that last kilometer, the peloton rapidly closed in. In the final two hundred meters, the sprinters surged past him.
Kockelmann or Groenewegen?
Mathieu Kockelmann (Lotto-Intermarché) launched his sprint from far out and immediately created a gap. Dylan Groenewegen managed to sprint onto his wheel and came up even alongside him, but did he actually pass him? This was not immediately clear after the finish. Eventually, after a few minutes of waiting, the verdict came: Kockelmann had won the stage, ahead of Groenewegen and Matteo Moschetti.
No second win of the season for Groenewegen, who had already won the Clàssica Comunitat Valenciana this year for his new team, Unibet Rose Rockets. Instead, the 22-year-old Kockelmann recorded the first victory of 2026 for Lotto-Intermarché. He also moved up to fourth place in the general classification, where Tom Crabbe remains in the lead.
