It was a May morning in Orihuela (Alicante), but it looked like a summer one. The runners, like the team staff, asked for sun cream (some even ice vests) as soon as they got off the respective buses and vans. Some had a special visitorlike the American Tayler Wiles, from Trek, who was holding her little girl, less than a year old, in her arms. Their relatives had come from Girona so that mother and daughter could share these little moments. The menu that she had ahead of her was 105 kilometers between Orihuela and Pilar de la Horadada, two nearby Alicante towns, but the day had a long journey through areas close to said population centers. Although it cost more than could be imagined, there was a volata to decide and it was a duel between Dutch, with the young Charlotte Kool (23 years old, DSM) as the winner.
In heads-up, he beat one of the great historical names of this sport, Marianne Vos (35, Jumbo), who despite not being able to get the stage, also got on the podium. Nothing more and nothing less than to dress in the red jersey of the leader of the race. She was one of the four Jumbo runners who came into the lead in the Torrevieja time trial and the possibility of ‘snatching’ this Monday the precious press to his partner Henderson was quite probable. The good news is that everything stays at the ‘bees’ house. One of the most active runners was the American Chloe Dygert, both in the intermediate sprint and in the final stretch, and it is that the one from Canyon made an attack that almost finished off with his arms high. She was finally third after the quick reaction of the Dutch, with the Spanish Alba Teruel, after a winter loaded with cyclocross, sixth.
The start was somewhat bumpy, with several Movistar and SD Worx runners, the theoretical two most powerful teams of this Tour, involved. For this reason, it was not until after ten kilometers that the platoon, regrouped again, began the attacks to form the escape. After several attempts, one of four was formed, all of them from continental teams: Blanco (Laboral Kutxa), the Italian Casagranda (Bepink), the Chilean Soto (Bizkaia-Durango) and the French Demay (Auber 93). They had more than a minute of rent, controlled from behind at all times until 38 km from the end they were neutralized.
The tension rose, with one of the runners to follow as the Italian Persico on the ground. In the port of Rebate (4th), the Canyon hardened and only about thirty runners remained… but the scare passed for many of them and they reconnected. Of course, the French Wiel will wear the mountain jersey at least two stages, because this Wednesday will be the third day, the longest of this edition with 148.2 km between Elche de la Sierra and La Roda. A completely flat terrain in which the wind, For the Albecete area, it may be the biggest rival.
Second stage classification
1st Charlotte Kool (PBa/DSM) 2h 41:27
2nd Marianne Vos (PBa/Jumbo) mt
3rd Chloey Dygert (USA/Canyon) mt
6º Alba Teruel (Laboral Kutxa) mt
19th Annemiek van Vleuten (PBa/Movistar) mt.
General
1st Marianne Vos (PBa/Jumbo) 2h 59:24
2nd Chole Dygert (USA/Canyon) to 1
3rd Riejanne Markus (PBa/Jumbo) 2
11th Annemiek van Vleuten (PBa/Movistar) 18
29º Ane Santesteban (Jayco) 45