Tour de l’Abitibi: Stage 2 report

On Wednesday, Danish rider Norsgaard Jorgensen won the second stage of the Tour de l’Abitibi. Jorgensen was the best rider of a five-man breakaway that finished 20 seconds clear of the main field. William Barta (U.S.A.) finished second on the stage, while Sébastien Havot of Team France rounded out the podium. The break also contained Canadian national junior time trial champion Pier André-Côté (Team Canada) who placed fifth.

As was the case with the opening stage, the speeds were high. The winners completed the 115-km stage from La Sarre to Amos with an average speed of 45 km/h. Given the high speeds of the race, it’s a rare occasion when a move is successful. If the past serves as any indication, the second’s stage move could drastically impact the overall race, despite the mere 20 seconds gained by those in the breakaway. At one point in the stage, the move had more than four minutes before the gap slowly came down to a 20 seconds by the end.

The next stage is a 10-km time trial followed with a 51.2-km criterium later in the day. Both stages are likely to be crucial stages that will surely change the GC picture heading into the weekend’s final stages.

Full results are available at the Tour de l’Abitibi.

Gear Check before stage #2 #lasarre to #amos #TourAbitibi pic.twitter.com/pc0dkqWOK9

— Tour de l’Abitibi (@TourAbitibi) July 23, 2014