Quick Step Alphavinir won the second stage of the Ituriá Basque.

Instead of Michael Morkov, who led Fabio Jacobsen and Mark Cavendish, this time it was world champion Julien Alaphilippe, led by team GC leader Remco Evenpoel, who took his first win of the season.

The Frenchman won the uphill finish of the second stage in Viana, when he and Evenpoel overtook the last remaining rider from the breakaway, Yvon Ruiz, just 400 meters from the finish line.

Once Evenpoel, who was second on GC in the opening time trial in Ituria on Monday, broke away, there was no doubt about his victory. After the stage, Alaphilippe praised the work of his young teammate in an unfamiliar role.

"We knew there were some technical corners left before the finish. Lemko did a perfect job on the last corner. Super," Alaphilippe said after the race.

"I told Lemko what to do if it came down to a sprint. He has the ability to push again after the corner and pull the peloton with him."

"He's a very good driver," Alaphilippe said after the race.

Before 10km, it looked like a four-man breakaway composed entirely of Basque riders would hold off the peloton for the win, but a winding ride to the line left them just in time to fight for the stage win.

"I'm really happy," said the rider. There weren't many teams trying to help us today, so we just tried to make sure the breakaway didn't make it."

Evenpoel, who was celebrating prolifically before Alaphilippe crossed the finish line, added that he and his team had almost given up on catching the breakaway.

The quartet held a two-minute lead until 10km to go. Soon, however, the quartet launched an attack on each other, throwing away a lead that could have given them a stage win.

"It was close," said the quartet. It was 2:15 to the finish line, and it was downhill. I was lost at one point. But I always did until the finish line."

He noted that Alaphilippe, who lost 44 seconds to stage winner Primos Roglic in the opening time trial due to mechanical problems, was basically unbeatable once at the front.

Fabien Dubay (Total Energy) came closest, but there was no doubt who would win.

"I knew I was the only one who could do something like lead-out. Dropping Julien here would be like dropping Fabio Jacobsen (in the sprint)."

"[The finish] was technical, so nothing more happened. We had agreed to let Julien pass on the left side after the turn and he passed well. We proved today that we are a strong team. I had goosebumps at the end. I never thought it would be this easy to win."