68 km
14:38
Group of the day
In the Italian leading group there is only one strong time trialist, Andrea Piccolo, and his four Italian opponents may not be enjoying the flat section too much. The group of the day is four minutes ahead and will want to show off their strengths in the mountains.
63 km
14:29
Intermediate sprint in Valdengo
32 kilometers left until the intermediate sprint in Valdengo. The INEOS and UAE teams take care of the leadership work in the peloton. Behind them, the Decathlon team with captain O’Connor may have planned something for today’s stage.
56 km
14:22
Impressive numbers
Geraint Thomas has been taking part in professional road races for 18 years. This year too it will be a double participation of the Giro and the Tour. Only a good wine gets better with age.
51 km
14:19
46,8
The average speed of the race so far is a brisk 46.8 km/h. The first driver, the Belgian Wijnants, has just got out.
47 km
14:11
Leadership group statistics
In personal Giro history, only Bais has been able to win a stage so far. Fiorelli at least made it into the top three, Scaroni into the top ten. The drivers throw themselves into it, but the leading group lacks a real engine. After almost 50 kilometers the lead is at least four minutes.
40 km
14:02
Caluso greets the Giro
In the small communities, the peloton now has to go over unpleasant bumpy roads through narrow streets. Caution is advised in this technically demanding section.
36 km
13:56
Pink sweater
As befits our colleagues at Gazzetta, the focus is on Italian drivers. “What a beautiful pink jersey, it would only take a strong Italian to represent it.” At the moment, Andrea Piccolo is at least practically wearing the pink jersey.
32 km
13:49
City-Country-River
The field of drivers is located on a tributary of the Po, a prominent choice in the well-known board game. Tadej Pogačar makes himself comfortable in the peloton, but the gap to the Italian breakaway group shrinks to 3:23 minutes.
26 km
13:44
Harmonious leadership group
The five outliers harmonize well. The riders work together amicably, taking turns in the tempo work, keeping the speed high and continuing to ride with a lead of almost four minutes over the peloton.
22 km
13:39
At the foot of the mountain
Piedmont means “at the foot of the mountain”. However, the mountain goats among the drivers still have to be patient. The elevation gain of today’s stage will only be collected in the second section.
18 km
13:36
143 kilometers to the finish
With 143 km to go, the peloton is almost four minutes behind the Italian breakaways.
14 km
13:31
Gulf states with control
The UAE and Bahrain Victorious teams sit at the front of the peloton and ensure that some of the momentum is taken away. The outliers already have a lead of almost three minutes.
9 km
13:22
Italian group
The front group is standing and the peloton makes no move to catch up. Also taking part are Scaroni, Piccolo, Bais, Fiorelli and Marcellusi.
5 km
13:19
Attacks in the field
Things get hot in the first few kilometers and the riders keep the pace high. A small group of seven riders sets off.
2 km
13:17
View of the start
The first hundred kilometers across the Canavese and Vercelli areas in Piedmont are largely flat and conclude with the first intermediate sprint of the day at kilometer 93.9 in Valdengo. Afterwards, the drivers can no longer get rid of the mountains.
1 km
13:14
Andiamo! The 2nd stage begins!
The flag is waving. With a little delay, the second stage of the Tour of Italy finally begins.
13:08
The sun prevails
Geraint Thomas applies himself to sunscreen again, there is a chat or two in the field, the tired legs from yesterday are slowly getting going. In just over a kilometer it really starts.
13:01
The field remains neutral
The field of drivers is still in the neutral phase. The riders still have three kilometers left before the race gets going.
12:39
The field is rolling
The neutral start takes place at the “Velodromo Francone” cycling track. The field gets moving in front of packed stands and a great backdrop in sunshine and light clouds. The sharp start takes place in just over five kilometers.
12:35
The 12 German representatives at the Giro d’Italia
The driver field includes Maximilian Schachmann, Jonas Koch and Florian Lipowitz, who compete for the Bora-Hansgrohe team. The Swiss ProTeam Tudor will also have three Germans in the squad, including veteran Alexander Krieger as well as Marius Mayrhofer and Florian Stork. The Bahrain Victorious team is represented by Phil Bauhaus and Jasha Sütterlin. Simon Geschke from Team Cofidis is taking part in his last tour of Italy, while Max Kanter is nominated for Astana Qazaqstan. Georg Steinhauser will start for EF Education – EasyPost.
12:33
“Solo il fato li vinse” (“Only fate defeated them”)
This year, the pink jersey will bear a special inscription that commemorates a tragedy in history: on May 4, 1949, 18 players from “Il Grande Torino” were on their way back from a friendly match against Benfica Lisbon. In bad weather, the pilot steered the aircraft too low over the Turin city hill, collided with part of the Superga pilgrimage church and ultimately crashed into the mountain. Over 500,000 people accompanied the victims’ coffins in the funeral procession through the city. However, the ultras of the football club loudly express their dissatisfaction with the fact that the roads to the Superga are closed to traffic due to the Giro, making it difficult for the “Granata” supporters to access the basilica and the traditional commemoration ceremony.
12:29
Look at the superstar
After third place in yesterday’s opening stage, Tadej Pogačar will certainly be aggressive in order to pull on the coveted Maglia Rosa after this race at the latest and, in the best case, not to give it up again during the course of the Giro. At the beginning of March, he clearly demonstrated that third places were not enough for him with his 81-kilometer solo victory at the Strade Bianche. Drivers like Cian Uijtdebroeks, Ben O’Connor and Romain Bardet will particularly want to challenge his favorite status. It is of course worth taking another look at Maximilian Schachmann, who performed very well yesterday, and the wearer of the pink jersey, Jhonatan Narváez.
12:27
What else can we look forward to?
This year the Giro d’Italia extends over 21 stages, covering a total of 3,400.8 kilometers, with riders also having to climb a total of 44,650 meters in altitude. The tour takes place exclusively in Italy and includes six flat, five hilly and eight mountain stages, six of which end with a mountain finish, the first stage of which is already today. Furthermore, two stages are planned as individual time trials. The highest point of the tour is reached on the 16th stage with the 2758 meter high Stelvio Pass. Other highlights include the gravel and cobblestone roads of the Strada Bianche, which have to be tackled on the 6th stage.
12:25
Marco Pantani: the Parata
In the second stage this year, the Giro will honor one of its greatest heroes. The route runs over 161 kilometers from San Francesco al Campo to the Santuario di Oropa, as a tribute to Marco Pantani, who died 20 years ago. The climb to the Sanctuary of Oropa, located at 1142 meters above sea level, represents a fierce final climb of category one, where Marco Pantani achieved a legendary stage victory in the pink jersey in 1999. At this point, superstar Pogačar is expected to demonstrate his strengths today at the first mountain finish of the tour.
12:23
Review of yesterday’s stage
At the start, German professional cyclist Maximilian Schachmann narrowly missed winning the day on the first stage and took second place. The Berlin-born driver had an exciting sprint duel with favorite Tadej Pogačar yesterday, which he won. However, he had to admit defeat to the Ecuadorian Jhonatan Narváez, who won in Turin at the start of the three-week tour of Italy. Pogačar, who is aiming for a double of Giro and Tour de France wins this year, took third place.
10:28
Good morning and welcome
Hello and welcome to the second stage of the Giro d’Italia, which is entering its 107th edition this year. The neutral start takes place at 12:45 p.m. before we get into full swing after a good five minutes of rolling in!
