If yesterday's chatter was all about the punchy climb and technical descent that lead to several wipeouts on what was supposed to be a flat sprinter's course, the hallmarks of today's stage were heat, speed, and potholes. Rabo Liv's Iris Slappendel summed it up on Twitter this way, "Imagine the most dirty town ever, roads with more potholes then tarmac, constant smell of rotten fish and 35 C.That's 2nd stage #girorosa14!"
For the bulk of the 120m stage the pack stayed together. One rider, Alexandra Burchenkova for RusVelo, managed to create a gap, but in the end she was swallowed into the group and the end came down to a bunch sprint finish.
Italian, Giorgia Bronzini (Wiggle Honda) won the stage. Marianne Vos came in second and increased her overall lead to +21sec. Tomorrow, riders will take on the first big climb of the race which should bring about some exciting moves from the GC contenders.
Riders charging through town. [Twitter: Giuseppe Diego Mele]
Road conditions. [Twitter: Yolanda Alvarez]
[Wei Yuet Wong for Bicycle Magazine]
Valentina Burchenkova (RusVelo) in a solo breakaway. [VeloFocus.com]
Giorgia Bronzini (Wiggle Honda) wins. [Bicycle Magazine]
Stage 2 podium [Instagram: Peta Mullens]
