Stage 2 - Bastia - Ajaccio
Race time - 3h 47min
Average speed - 41.2km/h
This second stage is a real rollercoaster ride: the Col de la Serra and Col de Vizzavona, followed, at the end, by the Côte du Salario. If you ask us, this parcours is going to cause some real damage! The sprinters will bail out one after another. Maybe a team leader who isn't in the best of condition? Could see all of their hopes dashed on this stage, before sinking altogether on the stage that follows, on a course where it will be even harder to hide away.
Mountain pa**es & hills:
Km 70.0 - Col de Bellagranajo - 6.6 kilometre-long climb at 4.6% - category 3
Km 85.0 - Col de la Serra - 5.2 kilometre-long climb at 6.9% - category 3
Km 95.5 - Col de Vizzavona - 4.6 kilometre-long climb at 6.5% - category 2
Km 144.0 - Côte du Salario - 1 kilometre-long climb at 8.9% - category 3
Intermediate sprints: Km 33.0 - Castello-Di-Rostino
Stage Summary:
Getting the ball rolling breakwise were Lars Boom (Belkin), Ruben Perez Moreno (Euskaltel-Euskadi), David Veilleux (Europcar) and Biel Kadri (Ag2r La Mondiale).
Kadri and Veilleuz got away from the other two on the second rated climb of the day, with 75km remaining. And then Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) launched out of the bunch, quickly zipping past Boom and Perez Moreno and running down the two leaders.
The yellow jersey was going downhill too — Marcel Kittel (Argos-Shimano) was more than five minutes down and suffering.
Cyril Gauthier (Europcar) and Juan Antonio Flecha (Vacansoleil-DCM) took off as Rolland crashed, quickly snatched a bike from a teammate. Gauthier left Flecha behind as Chris Froome (Sky) laid down a counterattack. Froome didn't stay away, but Gauthier did — for a while, anyway.
On the final run to the finish, as the sprinters' teams began organizing themselves, a late break formed up: Bakelants, Jakob Fuglsang, Gorka Izagirre Insausti (Euskaltel), Manuele Mori (Lampre-Merida), Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma) and Flecha. Its gap was never more than a handful of seconds, and it appeared doomed to be swallowed up in a bunch sprint, until Bakelants shifted into that 11-tooth cog.
Cla**ifications:
Stage:
Pos./Name/Time
1.BAKELANTS Jan (BEL) 03h43'11''
2.SAGAN Peter (SVK) +00'01''
3.KWIATKOWSKI Michal (POL) +00'01''
4.CIMOLAI Davide (ITA) +00'01''
5.BOASSON HAGEN Edval (NOR) +00'01''
6.SIMON Julien(FRA) +00'01''
7.GAVAZZI Francesco (ITA) +00'01''
8.IMPEY Daryl(RSA) +00'01''
9.BENNATI Daniele(ITA) +00'01''
10.LAGUTIN Sergey(UZB) +00'01''
Overall:
Pos./Name/Team/Time
1.BAKELANTS Jan(BEL) - RADIOSHACK LEOPARD - 08h 40' 03''
2.MILLAR David(GBR) - GARMIN-SHARP - +00'01''
3.SIMON Julien(FRA) - SOJASUN - +00'01''
4.IMPEY Daryl(RSA) - ORICA GREENEDGE - +00'01''
5.BOASSON HAGEN Edvald(NOR) - SKY PROCYCLING - +00'01''
6.GERRANS Simon(AUS) - ORICA GREENEDGE - +00'01''
7.KWIATKOWSKI Michal(POL) - OMEGA PHARMA-QUICK STEP - +00'01''
8.LAGUTIN Sergey(UZB) - VACANSOLEIL-DCM - +00'01''
9.RIBLON Christophe(FRA) - AG2R LA MONDIALE - +00'01''
10.EVANS Cadel(AUS) - BMC RACING TEAM - +00'01''
Points:
Pos./Name/Pts
1.KITTEL Marcel(GER) 47 pts
2.SAGAN Peter(SVK) 43 pts
3.KRISTOFF Alexander(NOR) 41 pts
4.BOOM Lars(NED) 40 pts
5.VAN POPPEL Danny(NED) 39 pts
6.BAKELANTS Jan(BEL) 30 pts
7.MILLAR David(GBR) 30 pts
8.KWIATKOWSKI Michal(POL) 22 pts
9.TRENTIN Matteo(ITA) 22 pts
10.SIMON Julien(FRA) 21 pts
Climber:
Pos./Name/Pts
1.ROLLAND Pierre (FRA) - 5 pts
2.KADRI Blel (FRA) -5 pts
3.FRAGAUTIER Cyril (FRA) -2 pts
4.BOOM Lars (HOL) -2 pts
5.FEILLU Brice(FRA) -2 pts
6.LOBATO DEL VALLE J.J(SPA) - 1 pts
7.FROOME Christopher(GBR) - 1 pts
8.KIRYIENKA Vasili(BLR) - 1 pts
9.VEILLEUX David(FRA) - 1 pts
10.PEREZ MORENO Ruben(SPA) - 1 pts
Team:
Pos./Name/Time
1.RADIOSHACK LEOPARD(LUX) 26h 00' 11''
2.VACANSOLEIL-DCM(NED) +00'01''
3.ORICA GREENEDGE(AUS) +00'01''
4.LAMPRE - MERIDA(ITA) +00'01''
5.BMC RACING TEAM(USA) +00'01''
6.AG2R LA MONDIALE(FRA) +00'01''
7.TEAM EUROPCAR(FRA) +00'01''
8.MOVISTAR TEAM(SPA) +00'01''
9.TEAM SAXO-TINKOFF(DEN) +00'01''
10.SOJASUN(FRA) +00'01''
Combative:
Name/No./Team
KADRI Blel(FRA) - 87 - AG2R LA MONDIALE(FRA)