It took about 15 kilometers before a break of five riders went clear from the bunch, but like yesterday, there was no doubt that the sprinter teams would control also stage two. Half way through the race, it started to rain, and when the riders entered the finishing circuit in Qinzhou, the break felt apart. Also BORA – hansgrohe was active at the head of the pack to take responsibility for Pascal Ackermann. With 4k to go, the last remaining escapee was swallowed up from a flying bunch, with BORA – hansgrohe leading out their sprinter. In the end, Pascal Ackermann took a confident win over Fabio Jacobsen and Dylan Groenewegen today.
Results
01 P. Ackermann 3:18:58
02 F. Jakobsen +0:00
03 D. Groenewegen +0:00
From the Finish Line
“It was not easy today to get the timing right. It was hectic because of the rain, but also because the last 2k were on a big road and totally straight which made it difficult. Yesterday we messed it up a little, but today everything went perfect. There are a lot of really strong sprinters here, so you also need a little bit of luck to get everything right. Today I had the position and also the legs. It was a great team effort and a deserved win.” – Pascal Ackermann
“We talked about our small mistakes from yesterday this morning, and today the boys did a perfect job. The break was really strong and I was a little concerned because Quick-Step had one guy in front. But we started to pull in the right moment with Erik, and on the last two kilometers everybody was on the right spot. It was an impressive win from Pascal in the end. I think he found his rhythm after all the traveling the last days.” – Christian Pömer, Sports Director
