
First podium for Viviani at the 102nd Giro d’Italia

Rain, wet roads, and cold temperatures accompanied the riders as they left behind Bologna, the city that in the Middle Ages knew many turbulent times due to its central position in the Peninsula, which made it the object of ambition for the likes of Cesare Borgia and Louis Xll.
These conditions and the two classified climbs packed inside the final 50 kilometers made stage 2 of the Corsa Rosa a tricky one, especially as the sprinters’ teams had to push a strong pace on the ascents in order to reel in the eight-man breakaway, but not hard enough so that their leaders would safely make it to the finish in Fucecchio, where a bunch gallop was expected.
Neo-pro Mikkel Honoré was prominent at the front of the field from the very outset of the stage, controlling the escapees’ gap and putting in a sterling work on both the flat and hills. A Grand Tour debutant, he 22-year-old Mikkel devoted all his energies to the team’s goal of fighting for victory at the end of this edition’s first road stage, bringing back the leaders inside ten kilometers to go, before things became nervous, impacting the finale.
The sprint was hectic and more chaotic than usual, mainly because of a crash which split the peloton under the flamme rouge arch. Having made the cut, Elia Viviani was well-placed in the reduced group and opened his sprint with 120 meters to go, hitting a maximum speed of 71.2km/h and taking second behind Pascal Ackermann (Bora-hansgrohe), for his 30th top 3 finish in the Deceuninck – Quick-Step jersey.
“I was in a good position, but Ackermann anticipated the sprint in the tailwind, while I waited too much before kicking out. I had a very fast 50 meters, but that wasn’t enough. On the plus side, the feeling is good and our team is motivated, which gives me confidence ahead of the next sprint stages”, Elia said in Fucecchio, a finish town at the Giro d’Italia for the first time in the race’s history.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele/ Getty Images
Race details
1 |
Pascal Ackermann BORA - hansgrohe |
4:44:43 |
2 |
Elia Viviani
Deceuninck - Quick Step |
,, |
3 |
Caleb Ewan Lotto Soudal |
,, |
4 |
Fernando Gaviria Rendon UAE-Team Emirates |
,, |
5 |
Arnaud Démare Groupama - FDJ |
,, |
6 |
Davide Cimolai Israel Cycling Academy |
,, |
7 |
Viacheslav Kuznetsov Team Katusha Alpecin |
,, |
8 |
Jasper De Buyst Lotto Soudal |
,, |
9 |
Kristian Sbaragli Israel Cycling Academy |
,, |
10 |
Rüdiger Selig BORA - hansgrohe |
,, |
17 |
Fabio Sabatini
Deceuninck - Quick Step |
,, |
37 |
Bob Jungels
Deceuninck - Quick Step |
,, |
39 |
Eros Capecchi
Deceuninck - Quick Step |
,, |
51 |
James Knox
Deceuninck - Quick Step |
,, |
95 |
Pieter Serry
Deceuninck - Quick Step |
,, |
127 |
Florian Sénéchal
Deceuninck - Quick Step |
0:05 |
138 |
Mikkel Frølich Honoré
Deceuninck - Quick Step |
8:37 |
1 |
Primož Roglič Team Jumbo-Visma |
4:57:42 |
2 |
Simon Yates Mitchelton-Scott |
0:19 |
3 |
Vincenzo Nibali Bahrain Merida |
0:23 |
4 |
Miguel Ángel López Moreno Astana Pro Team |
0:28 |
5 |
Tom Dumoulin Team Sunweb |
,, |
6 |
Rafał Majka BORA - hansgrohe |
0:33 |
7 |
Tao Geoghegan Hart Team INEOS |
0:35 |
8 |
Bauke Mollema Trek - Segafredo |
0:39 |
9 |
Damiano Caruso Bahrain Merida |
0:40 |
10 |
Pello Bilbao López de Armentia Astana Pro Team |
0:42 |
12 |
Bob Jungels
Deceuninck - Quick Step |
0:46 |
20 |
James Knox
Deceuninck - Quick Step |
0:57 |
41 |
Pieter Serry
Deceuninck - Quick Step |
,, |
52 |
Eros Capecchi
Deceuninck - Quick Step |
1:30 |
53 |
Florian Sénéchal
Deceuninck - Quick Step |
,, |
88 |
Fabio Sabatini
Deceuninck - Quick Step |
2:01 |
90 |
Elia Viviani
Deceuninck - Quick Step |
2:05 |
138 |
Mikkel Frølich Honoré
Deceuninck - Quick Step |
9:36 |
1 |
Pascal Ackermann BORA - hansgrohe |
25 pt |
2 |
Elia Viviani
Deceuninck - Quick Step |
18 pt |
3 |
Primož Roglič Team Jumbo-Visma |
15 pt |
4 |
Marco Frapporti Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec |
12 pt |
5 |
Simon Yates Mitchelton-Scott |
12 pt |
6 |
Caleb Ewan Lotto Soudal |
12 pt |
7 |
Vincenzo Nibali Bahrain Merida |
9 pt |
8 |
Damiano Cima Nippo Vini Fantini Faizanè |
8 pt |
9 |
Fernando Gaviria Rendon UAE-Team Emirates |
8 pt |
10 |
Miguel Ángel López Moreno Astana Pro Team |
7 pt |
1 |
Miguel Ángel López Moreno Astana Pro Team |
4:58:10 |
2 |
Tao Geoghegan Hart Team INEOS |
0:07 |
3 |
Hugh Carthy EF Education First |
0:19 |
4 |
James Knox
Deceuninck - Quick Step |
0:29 |
5 |
Pavel Sivakov Team INEOS |
0:33 |
6 |
Ben O'Connor Team Dimension Data |
0:44 |
7 |
Robert Power Team Sunweb |
0:45 |
8 |
Eddie Dunbar Team INEOS |
0:46 |
9 |
Jai Hindley Team Sunweb |
1:03 |
10 |
Nicola Conci Trek - Segafredo |
1:04 |
34 |
Mikkel Frølich Honoré
Deceuninck - Quick Step |
9:08 |
1 |
Giulio Ciccone Trek - Segafredo |
21 pt |
2 |
François Bidard AG2R La Mondiale |
6 pt |
3 |
Primož Roglič Team Jumbo-Visma |
4 pt |
4 |
Łukasz Owsian CCC Team |
3 pt |
5 |
Simon Yates Mitchelton-Scott |
2 pt |
6 |
Rafał Majka BORA - hansgrohe |
1 pt |
7 |
Marco Frapporti Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec |
1 pt |
1 | Team Jumbo-Visma | 14:54:47 |
2 | Bahrain Merida | 0:15 |
3 | Astana Pro Team | 0:28 |
4 | Mitchelton-Scott | 0:36 |
5 | BORA - hansgrohe | 0:41 |
6 | Team Sunweb | 0:54 |
7 | Deceuninck - Quick Step | 1:01 |
8 | EF Education First | 1:06 |
9 | Team INEOS | 1:09 |
10 | UAE-Team Emirates | 1:16 |