Alexander Cepeda, Ecuadorian cyclist, was crowned champion of the Tour de l’Ain this Monday, July 15, 2024. El Chalequito’ maintained the leadership achieved in the previous day to consolidate as the best of the short French race.
The 26-year-old Ecuadorian, who won a stage in the French race, defended without setbacks the lead in the last stage, disputed between Lagnieu and Ile Chambod.
The tricolor dominated the three-stage race by beating Frenchman Rémi Capron (Van Rysel – Roubaix) and Italian Stefano Oldani (Cofidis) by 24 and 28 seconds, respectively. Cepeda won the title with a 445-kilometer ride in 10:39:23.
Cepeda, of EF Education – Easypost, competed from Saturday, July 13 with the start in Laiz, where he had no major relevance. However, in the second mountain stage, between Saint-Vulbas and Lélex Monts Jura, he showed his capabilities, winning the day that kept him as leader.
The last stage was won by the French rider Rémi Capron (Van Rysel – Roubaix), who was the fastest in a sprint of 11 riders, achieving his first victory of the season, after riding 153.1 kilometers.
On the final day itself, the Ecuadorian held on to the yellow jersey and thus won the gold medal. Regarding the two Colombians in competition, Iván Ramiro Sosa (Movistar Team) finished 15th, 2:01 behind Cepeda, while Hugo Rodríguez (Trinity Racing) was 48th, more than 23 minutes behind the champion.
Tour de l’Ain (2.1)
Results Stage 3 | Lagnieu – Ile Chambod (153,1 km)
| 1 | Rémi Capron | Van Rysel – Roubaix | 3:44:21 |
| 2 | Tom Donnenwirth | Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team | ,, |
| 3 | Nicolas Breuillard | St Michel – Mavic – Auber93 | ,, |
| 4 | Rudy Molard | Groupama – FDJ | ,, |
| 5 | Stefano Oldani | Cofidis | ,, |
| 6 | Ben Hermans | Cofidis | ,, |
| 7 | Sergio Samitier | Movistar Team | ,, |
| 8 | Victor Lafay | Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team | ,, |
| 9 | Archie Ryan | EF Education – EasyPost | ,, |
| 10 | Jefferson Alexander Cepeda | EF Education – EasyPost | 0:04 |
Ranking General
| 1 | Jefferson Alexander Cepeda | EF Education – EasyPost | 10:39:23 |
| 2 | Rémi Capron | Van Rysel – Roubaix | 0:24 |
| 3 | Stefano Oldani | Cofidis | 0:28 |
| 4 | Tom Donnenwirth | Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team | ,, |
| 5 | Rudy Molard | Groupama – FDJ | 0:29 |
| 6 | Nicolas Breuillard | St Michel – Mavic – Auber93 | 0:30 |
| 7 | Victor Lafay | Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team | 0:34 |
| 8 | Ben Hermans | Cofidis | ,, |
| 9 | Archie Ryan | EF Education – EasyPost | ,, |
| 10 | Antonio Pedrero | Movistar Team | 0:40 |
Source: Revista Mundo Ciclístico y www.primicias.ec