Hectic finish to Stage 2 of Vuelta a San Juan

The second stage of the Vuelta a San Juan saw several last-minute attacks within the final 15 km of the race. It was a very tight finish, with the winner coming from a group of escapees. 

The Stage
The course of just under 150 km looked like it would make for interesting racing. The stage had two intermediate sprints and four king of the mountains climbs, with the riders having to climb the Alto Punta Negra, which ramps up to 7.5 percent in some areas, a total of four times.

The Team Tactics
This was a tricky stage, featuring a climb that was short but also quite steep in sections. Crosswinds brought unpredictability to the stage, but also an opportunity to make a decisive move, particularly in the final section.

The Race
Immediately after the drop of the flag, three riders formed a breakaway. Having stayed away for most of the day, the break was caught with 25 km remaining, but not before six other riders tried their luck to escape from the field. With the chase on in earnest behind them, they were reeled back with 15 km remaining. A soloist then decided to try his luck within the final 12 km of the race, but was caught with 7 km to go. Yet again, with under 2 km remaining, another group of riders managed to escape, and despite the best efforts of the chasers, this group produced the winner, R. Villalobos of Costa Rica. After having suffered an untimely flat tire, Rafał Majka finished 6th on the stage in the chasing group behind in what ended up being an extremely hectic finale to the stage.


Results
01 R. Villalobos 3h25’06”
02 R. Escuela +0:00
03 T. Benoot +0:00
04 F. Ganna +0:00
05 O. Sevilla +0:00

From the Finish Line
“The stage was not an easy one, particularly given the steep climb and crosswinds. We wanted to make a move in the last section, but we had some bad luck. A few kilometres before the final, Rafał had a flat tire. But he was feeling good, and attempted to follow the attacks in the last kilometres and try something on the last climb. It’s a solid result, but I think that if we didn’t have that bit of bad luck, more would have been possible today. The team did a good job together, and we’re looking forward to the time trial and the longer climbs that are still to come in the race.” – Enrico Poitschke