Cycling: One year after a pelvic fracture, Alexis Vuillermoz wins on the Dauphiné – 20 Minutes

French victory at the Critérium du Dauphiné: Alexis Vuillermoz won the second stage and endorsed the leader’s yellow jersey, Monday in Brives-Charensac (Haute-Loire), after a long breakaway poorly controlled by the peloton. The Jura puncher beat his breakaway companions and caused the failure of Breton Olivier Le Gac, who was the winner up to 100 m from the line. “The sprint was a bit disjointed. I saw Olivier launch the sprint from very far in the 300m, he took a short break. I didn’t think I could come back but I saw that he was stuck a little at 50m, ”explained the winner of the day. Vuillermoz, beaming, recalled having gone through hard times for twelve months and his fall in the time trial of the Tour de Suisse: “A year ago, I fractured my pelvis. The doctors said it was the end of my career. I even feared for life, I found myself in intensive care. I didn’t know if I was going to continue cycling! “”A kid’s dream”In 2022, the Saint-Claude rider believes he has made his best start to the season, “in terms of UCI points”. “It was only missing the victory, it’s the icing on the cake”, rejoiced Vuillermoz, 10th in April of the Flèche wallonne. The Frenchman thanked his TotalEnergies team for a long time for allowing him to work especially on his qualities as a puncher. “I have limits in the high mountains”, estimated the former lieutenant of Romain Bardet at AG2R. Vuillermoz, who is 34 years old, found himself at the front contrary to the plan of his formation: “Ni Edvald [Boasson Hagen] neither I had to go in the breakaway in order to keep strength for the next stage. But the shot went off and I said to myself: “We’ll see, too bad for tomorrow”. I didn’t really believe it but it’s the bike that I like, the offensive. At the end of the adventure, the Jura player put on his first distinctive jersey, “a kid’s dream”. Even if he expects to pay for the efforts on Tuesday, between Saint-Paulien and Chastreix-Sancy.