The sprint teams wanted revenge for yesterday’s defeat where a breakaway managed to outfox the bunch. But once gain during today’s 194 kilometer second stage of the French stage race Tour du Poitou-Charentes, the sprinters were denied by a late breakaway including CULT Energy Pro Cycling’s Rasmus Quaade.

Rudy Kowalski (Roubaix-Lille Métropole), Alexandre Blain (Team Marseille 13-KTM), Quentin Pacher (Armée de Terre), Ludwig De Winter (Wallonie-Bruxelles) and Christophe Laporte (Cofidis) launched an early attack to create the first breakaway of the stage. However, they were brought back before the finale where CULT Energy’s Rasmus Quaade demonstrated great form and leaped away with a select group of riders including Tony Martin.

Rasmus Quaade finished 9th and moves to 5th overall. DS Luke Roberts says:

“We started off in tailwind and the bunch seemed happy to see the quintet disappear but as we moved into a crosswind section and the landscape started to rise, the bunch split up and once again, a select group of riders took off including Linus Gerdemann, Alex Kirsch and Rasmus Quaade. Unfortunately, Alex was struck by a mechanical. However, Rasmus managed to set himself in a favorable position before tomorrow’s time trial over 23 kilometers.”