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Rear puncture
The break swells to about 15 riders and more try to join.
Polka dots attack
A brief hiatus in the pack as the back of the peloton is extremely strung out as Jan Hirt (SOQ) is right at the back after his accident in the sign on involving a fan yesterday. Hopefully he will be feeling better soon.
The first break is caught and several new moves try to go. World champion, Mathieu van der Poel (ADC) is lurking towards the front as well but it is Quentin Pacher (GFC) who tries to get away at the front.
Attack
We have a long section of flat before we get to the climbs and maybe that is putting people off.
199.2km to go
Front puncture
Just 5km until the official start.
European champion, Christophe Laporte (TVL) is just back at the car changing his shoe as he’s having an issue with his new Nimbl Ultimate shoe.
Last year, Primož Roglič (RBH) out-smarted and out-sprinted Tadej Pogačar (UAD) to take victory on San Luca… Similar today? We shall have to see. The race does not finish at the top by the sanctuary but rather in Bologna.
Neutral start
A really lovely photo of two good friends and the stars of yesterday’s stage and the new yellow and green jerseys, Romain Bardet and Frank van den Broek, both of DSM-Firmenich-PostNL.
The last three winners of the Giro dell’Emilia, the race that finishes at the top of the San Luca climb (1.9km at 10.6%), are all in this race. In the last five years, three of the wins were taken by Primož Roglič (RBH) with the others won by now teammate, Aleksandr Vlasov (RBH) as well as Enric Mas (MOV).
In our graphic above you can see who the jersey wearers are after the opening stage. Of course, Frank van den Broek (DFP) can’t wear two and he would be very warm if he did! So, Maxim Van Gils (LTD) will wear white on behalf on the young Dutchman.
So far, there are no new abandons after Michele Gazzoli (AST) left the race half way through yesterday’s stage when he had suffered enough with Cavendish and co.
A behind the scenes look at Astana Qazaqstan’s controlled but brutal day out making sure Mark Cavendish made it to the finish in time. In the end, they made it with 9’59” to spare.
Yesterday was a day to forget for Groupama-FDJ’s leaders as both Lenny Martinez and David Gaudu lost just under half an hour to stage winner, Romain Bardet (DFP). Maybe today will be better.
A look at the stage 2 profile. Not as hard as yesterday’s 3600+ metres of elevation gain but there are steeper climbs and they crest closer to the finish in Bologna, giving the GC guys a better chance of making it should they drop their rivals.
Visma-Lease a Bike primed and ready for stage 2 after a successful return to Tour de France-level racing for Vingegaard and Van Aert yesterday.
Today could be the first time we see the ‘big four’ of Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel and Primož Roglič battle it out on the explosive San Luca climb. Pogačar will no doubt want to test the legs of the trio who were all nursing injuries in the April to May period while he was dominating the Giro.
It’s team presentation and sign-on time in Cesenatico for the second stage, with temperatures still upwards of 30 degrees but not quite as bad as the scorcher there was had on stage 1.
Make sure to follow CN’s Instagram to get an inside view of the race from our great team on the ground. Here’s Mark Cavendish arriving back at the team bus after a hellish first stage.
After a huge day 1, DSM-Firmenich PostNL will have the pleasure of donning two of the classification jerseys at the Tour (despite leading in three). Bardet in yellow, for the first time in his career, and neo pro Van Den Broek in the green points jersey.
If you somehow missed what was a magical opening day at the Tour de France yesterday, catch up with our race report. We may not get a better winners picture in the next three weeks:
We’re into Marco Pantani territory today as the Tour de France honours the roads of the controversial Il Pirata, 26 years after he completed the elusive Giro-Tour double.
Bonjour and welcome to Cyclingnews’ live coverage of stage 2 of the Tour de France!
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
