Cycling: Giulio Ciccone has won the second stage of the Tour of Catalonia. The Italian was able to beat the two top favorites Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel in the uphill sprint.
Ciccone surprises the favorite duo
The Trek – Segafredo team has not been lucky in the 102nd Tour of Catalonia. yesterday had to Dario Cataldo dropped out of the race because of a fall, teammate got it today Kenny Elissonde. All the more important that in the end Julius Ciccone had a surprising success. The Italian triumphed on the second stage after 165,4 kilometers from Mataró to Vallter in a three-man sprint Primois Roglic (Jumbo – Visma) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal - Quick Step). This improves him to third place in the overall standings, just six seconds behind yesterday's stage winner from Slovenia.
Bad luck for Almeida
When it came to the final climb, the Bahrain – Victorious team took command. bitter for Joao almeida (UAE) who suffered a technical problem with his gear shift and lost valuable time. The Portuguese was able to reconnect, but had to invest too much effort to do so. The Ecuadorians, among others, don't seem to be in top form yet Richard Carapaz (EF Education – EasyPost) and the Frenchman Romain Bardet (DSM) to be. Both had to be demolished after a further increase in speed.
Evenepoel lacks the cleverness
The finale then rang Ilan van Wilder (Soudal – Quick Step). The Belgian pushed for his compatriot Remco Evenepoel, before he started himself and thus an attack by Mikel Landa (Bahrain – Victorious) countered. He quickly left the Spanish climber, but Primois Roglic (Jumbo – Visma) and Julius Ciccone (Trek – Segafredo) he couldn't get rid of. Nevertheless, the world champion drove almost stoically from the front, believing he was the strongest anyway. At the latest after the last right-hand bend, however, this belief was over, because Evenepoel took the outside lane while his two opponents passed inside.
Chaves believed in it to the end
The EF Education – EasyPost team almost won the day – but only almost. At first it was simon carr, who was part of the breakaway group and left his companions on the final climb. When the Briton was caught by the group of favorites, his teammate left Stephen Chaves on the offensive. But even the Colombian champion was unable to keep the approaching trio at a distance to the finish line. On the last kilometer he was also caught and passed by Giulio Ciccone, Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel.
Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo) walks the Etapa 2 of the Volta in Catalunya 2023 #VoltaCatalunya102 #VoltaCatalunya #Noticiclismo #ciclismo pic.twitter.com/T5Okq5OW4v
— NotiCiclismo ➡ #VoltaCatalunya102 (@Noticiclismo1) March 21, 2023