For months, he has been waiting impatiently. Taking fourth place in the first mountain stage of the Tour de San Luis, 27 seconds behind the winner (and new leader of the race) Daniel Diaz, and just in front of the defending champion Nairo Quintana, Eduardo Sepulveda is finally back at his highest level.

Sepulveda has been waiting for this since last June. His crash in the Bayern Rundfahrt that damaged his tibial plateau forced the 23-year-old to miss his first Tour de France. He returned to action in August with a focus on the Worlds. Just hours before the race, he crashed and was left with a broken collarbone.

On January 20, on the final climb of the Mirador del Potrero, he showed the quality of the work done under the Argentine sun all winter. When Daniel Diaz and Rodolfo Torres broke away from the leading group, he could probably have followed them. However, he preferred to wait for Nairo Quintana's attack that never came.

Sébastien Hinault, who is doing his first race as a team manager, was still pleased with the overall performance.

"Eduardo's in it for the win, it's great motivation for us. And when I see the work done by the team to bring him to the bottom of Mirador in the best possible condition, in the wind and at the heart of a very nervous race, I am optimistic for the future."

Yauheni Hutarovich and Dan McLay, despite their crashes and their wounds from the previous day, both contributed well for Bretagne. The third stage may be more appropriate for them as it is likely to end in a sprint.