As planned in the script, the The first stage of the Giro de Sicilia was resolved in a sprint that left Vincenzo Albanese bitter. The Eolo-Kometa runner was about to give the bell when he jumped out of the peloton shortly before the last kilometer banner, but the rush end of Juan Sebastián Molano, driven by a sensational pitch from Max Richeze, cut short his triumph a few meters from the finish line of Licata.
As for the favorites, Alejandro Valverde, who reappeared in competition after his abandonment in the last Tour of Spain, avoided problems in the massive sprint, preceded by an area of dangerous linked curves, getting carried away in the last kilometer. Despite the obvious cut that occurred on arrival, the judges did not ‘bite’ time and both the Murcian and Romain Bardet and Vincenzo Nibali, they crossed the finish line with the same time as the winner.
That the great candidates are in a handkerchief, and in one piece, will make the excitement grow in the third and fourth stages, where the winner of this edition is expected to be decided with the arrival of the mountain. This Wednesday, a new opportunity for sprinters with another flat stage, of 173 km, between the towns of Selinunte and Mondello.
General ranking
1st Juan S. Molano (UAE) -4h 40:58
2nd Vincenzo Albanese (Eolo-Kometa) – at 4 “
3rd Max Richeze (UAE) – at 6 “