AFP, LE PUY-EN-VELAY, France

Denmark’s Anthon Charmig on Monday broke clear on the final climb of the long second stage of the Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes to claim the biggest win of his career.

The 28-year-old was part of a 10-man breakaway on the hilly 234km stage from Saint-Martin-Le-Vinoux to Le Puy-en-Velay, but as the breakaway companions attacked each other in the final 50km, Charmig timed his move to perfection, just before the last of five summits, and he soloed to victory.

“It’s an incredible feeling for me,” said Charmig, adding that he hoped this would help him make his team’s Tour de France squad. “I don’t get that many chances each year, so right now, when I have the chance, it’s an incredible feeling.”

Photo: AFP

Frenchman Alex Baudin, who won Sunday’s mountainous opening stage, kept the overall leader’s yellow jersey as he came home in the peloton just over three minutes back.

France’s Henri-Francois Renard-Haquin of won a four-man sprint for second, 41 seconds behind the winner, with Belgium’s Vlad van Mechelen taking third.

The overall contenders, including French teenage prodigy Paul Seixas, the prerace favorite, finished safely in the peloton ahead of the crucial team time trial.

The race started to sizzle just before the penultimate climb of the day, the 4.2km Cote des Baraques, with Frenchmen Clement Braz Afonso and Baptiste Veistroffer attacking and going clear 47km from the finish line.

Braz Afonso of Groupama-FDJ United dropped his compatriot, but was then joined by Spaniard Raul Garcia Pierna and Van Mechelen of Bahrain Victorious on the ensuing descent.

Charmig was among four riders, including Veistroffer, to rejoin the leading trio before the shorter, steeper final climb of the race, the Cote de Saint-Vidal.

“The second-to-last climb was a bit too long for me, so I tried not to panic when the other guys went away, but we worked together to get back and then the final climb was perfect for my characteristics,” Uno-X Mobility’s Charmig said.

Charmig crested the Cote de Saint-Vidal with a few seconds advantage over Braz Afonso and Movistar’s Garcia Pierna with 12km to ride.

Despite being outgunned two-to-one, Charmig steadily increased his lead to 30 seconds with 4km left.

Two chasers became four as they were joined by Van Mechelen and Renard-Haquin, but they could make no inroads on the leading Dane, whose only previous professional victory was a stage at the Tour of Oman in 2022.