2015 Giro d'Italia Stage 2 Live Coverage
Welcome to our live coverage of Stage 2 of the 2015 Giro d'Italia! Our live profile and commentary are below, followed by a preview of the technical aspects of the route.
Course Preview
Stage 2 offers riders and viewers alike spectacular ocean views and the some of the best Italian sights. The relatively flat route, primed for the world’s best sprinters, travels up the coast to Genoa, where riders will complete two 6.8km laps before they reach the finish line. The town of Pratozanino marks the first opportunity for King of the Mountain points, but it’s unlikely the Cat. 4 climb will burn the sprinters enough to change the outcome of the finish.
Former Italian racer Mario Manzoni said this stage uses some of the Laigueglia roads, but it is fast and furious and a guaranteed sprint.
“I guess the biggest danger is crashes, but you can’t really legislate for them,” Manzoni said. “All you can do is hope that they get round and that you manage to get your sprinter in amongst it.”\nWhen asked to make a prediction on who might win the stage, Manzoni said it is too early to tell.
“We’ll make a decision on who we select as we get close to the race,” the nine time Giro rider said. “Obviously form is a major consideration, but with young riders there’s much more to it than that. We have a very fast neo-pro named Nicolas Marini, but he’s only 21. Of course he wants to ride, but you have to be careful with them at that age”
“The last thing you want to do is damage their engine – and their morale – if they’re not ready for three weeks at that level. We will probably select Eduard Grosu, a 22-year-old sprinter. He’ll be the first Romanian to ride the Giro and he’s an extremely exciting talent. Watch out for him.”\nMoment in time
Heading into the penultimate stage of the 1985 Giro, a nailed-on sprint to Genoa, all was to play for. Bernard Hinault, twice a Giro winner, wore pink. He led Francesco Moser by 1:15 but with a 48km time trial to come, he was far from home and hosed. Moreover, if Moser could pick up some time bonuses by the seaside, he’d be within striking distance of repeating the previous year’s contentious win.
Then he’d been helped by RAI’s helicopter, or rather by the downdraft it had created as race leader Laurent Fignon rode the final stage time trial. Fignon had ridden as if through sand and Moser had famously ambushed the maglia rosa in Verona’s Roman Arena. Here the stage winner would likely be Urs Freuler, Switzerland’s mustachioed rocket man. Moser, though, had designs on the 15-second time bonus for second place. It was an extremely nervous peloton that blasted through Genoa that afternoon…Moser led it out, but as Freuler advanced, Moser brushed shoulders with the sprinter Paolo Rosola. It forced him to slow and he later accused Rosola of costing him the time bonuses.
That evening Hinault took umbrage (not unreasonably) when a photographer snapped him in the shower, before the time trial capped things off perfectly. In light of the previous year’s shenanigans, Hinault’s manager Bernard Tapie decided to monitor the RAI helicopter from his own private jet and Hinault won the fractious 1985 Giro d’Italia.\n
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