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2015 Giro d’Italia Stage 2: Elia Viviani wins sprint in Genoa, Matthews in pink

May 10, 2015
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The 2015 Giro d’Italia’s second stage was the setting for sprinter Elia Viviani (Italy/Sky) to take his first triumph in his home tour Sunday, outpowering Moreno Hofland (The Netherlands/LottoNL-Jumbo) in Genoa. Michael Matthews (Australia/Orica-GreenEdge) inherits the pink jersey from teammate and compatriot Simon Gerrans. Matthews took the pink last year from Canadian teammate Svein Tuft.

The 177-km stage down the Ligurian coast from Albenga to Genoa was a flat one with a couple of bumps, the second of which was the race’s first categorized climb, the Cat. 4 Pratozanino. The race ended with two 9.5-km circuits around Genoa.

It wasn’t a course for a breakaway to stay away, but that didn’t discourage the Giro’s first escape. A quintet peeled away soon after the gun in Albenga to fly team flags and hunt the blue mountains jersey, with the wildcard squads well represented. Bert-Jan Lindemann (The Netherlands/LottoNL-Jumbo), Marco Frapporti (Italy/Androni-Giocattoli), and Albanian Eugert Zhupa (Southeast) found an orange streak among them via CCC-Sprandi’s Lukasz Owsian (Poland) and Giacomo Berlato (Nippo-Vini Fantini).

The five enjoyed a lead close to 10:00. Frapporti snagged the maximum points at the two intermediate sprints but dropped his chain on the climb and wasn’t able to contest the blue jersey. Lindemann outkicked Owsian and Berlato to step onto the stage in Genoa.

Tinkoff-Saxo took over the pacemaking duties on the climb, so with 50-km to go the lead was reduced to 3:30. Only 45-seconds separated the move from the peloton once it entered the first of the two technical laps. Owsian and Zhupa bolted on their breakmates and the Pole proved the last to be brought to heel.

There was a short, mild climb on each lap and a rise to the finish line. A tricky route caused a couple of crashes in the peloton, with Ryder Hesjedal and Domenico Pozzovivo (Italy/Ag2r) getting back caught in a split. Tinkoff and Astana kept the pace furious in the leading group. Inside the final 2-km the sprinters’ teams came to the forefront, but the colour blocks didn’t quite gel.

Germany’s André Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) started his sprint from far out, but Viviani was able to come around both Greipel and Hofland to take a famous win.

Hesjedal made it back to the main peloton to place 46th. Pozzivivo came in 1:09 in arrears and is no longer an outside threat to win the Giro d’Italia.

Monday’s stage is a medium mountain day with a Cat. 3 and a Cat. 2 climb.

2015 Giro d’Italia Stage 2
1) Elia Viviani (Italy/Sky) 4:13:18
2) Moreno Hofland (The Netherlands/LottoNL-Jumbo) s.t.
3) Andre Greipel (Germany/Lotto-Soudal) s.t.
46) Ryder Hesjedal (Canada/Cannondale-Garmin) s.t.
167) Hugo Houle (Canada/Ag2r) +4:43

2015 Giro d’Italia GC
1) Michael Matthews (Australia/Orica-GreenEdge) 4:32:44
2) Simon Gerrans (Australia/Orica-GreenEdge) s.t.
3) Simon Clarke (Australia/Orica-GreenEdge) s.t.
70) Ryder Hesjedal (Canada/Cannondale-Garmin) +0:53
162) Hugo Houle (Canada/Ag2r) +5:31