The cycling festival in the Netherlands continues: yesterday, May 7, the second of the Giro’s three planned stages abroad took place. The 190-kilometer route linked towns in the eastern Netherlands, starting in Arnhem and finishing in Nijmegen, and from the outset it was in the sprinters’ sights, since it had no difficult terrain.
The stage went the classic way: the day’s breakaway formed right from the start, and the peloton didn’t give it much room, since the sprinters’ teams didn’t shy away from the heavy burden of the chase. Especially hard-working was France’s FDJ, the team of this year’s Classicissima (Milan–San Remo) winner Arnaud Démare. As the finish approached, their train was hard to miss.
7 May 2016
99th Giro d’Italia
Stage 02 : Arnhem – Nijmegen
Train of FDJ
Photo : Yuzuru SUNADA
But the final sprint was won by a big margin by Germany’s Marcel Kittel. You could say Marcel is back, because with this big win he has closed a difficult chapter of his career. Already on the first stage, the time he set in the individual time trial suggested that Etixx–Quick-Step was planning to grab the pink jersey. Thanks to the time bonus for winning the sprint, Marcel drew level with Tom Dumoulin, and if he can repeat yesterday’s result on the next stage, he will travel to Italy in pink.
7 May 2016
99th Giro d’Italia
Stage 02 : Arnhem – Nijmegen
1st : KITTEL Marcel (GER) Etixx – Quickstep
Photo : Yuzuru SUNADA
After stage 2, though, to the locals’ delight, the pink jersey was proudly worn by Dutchman Tom Dumoulin!
7 May 2016
99th Giro d’Italia
Stage 02 : Arnhem – Nijmegen
DUMOULIN Tom (NED) Giant – Alpecin, Maglia Rosa
Photo : Yuzuru SUNADA
On stage 3 we should again expect a sprinters’ showdown!
Featured image: Yuzuru SUNADA/www.yuzurusunada.com
Inside post thumbnail image: Yuzuru SUNADA/www.yuzurusunada.com
Special thanks to the Japanese photographer Yuzuru SUNADA for permission to use his works in our publications.
Translated from Georgian with the assistance of Claude (Anthropic), reviewed by the Velorbola editors.
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