2022 Volta ao Algarve Stage 2 Results & Recap
Stage 2 of the 2022 Volta ao Algarve is in the books. The final results and standings are below, followed by our recap of how the race unfolded.
Race Recap
David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) won the uphill arrival of the second stage of the Volta ao Algarve 2022. The Frenchman reached and passed in the final an excellent Samuele Battistella (Astana-Qazaqstan) who had attacked just before him at the end of a final climb that is decidedly lacking in emotions. The Frenchman is now also the new leader of the general classification with a second margin on Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates), Remco Evenepoel (QuickStep Alpha Vinyl), Ethan Hayter, Daniel Martinez (INEOS Grenadiers), Julien Bernard (Trek-Segafredo) and Sven Erik Bystrom (Inermarché-Wanty-Gobert) .
Just after kilometer 0, six riders try to take advantage, but the group leaves no room for this attempt and quickly closes. Immediately, however, five other men launch the attack, and this time the platoon lets it go: Tomas Contte (Aviludo-Louletano-Loulé Concelho), Unai Iribar (Euskaltel-Euskadi), João Matias (Tavfer-Mortágua-Ovos Matinados) , Nickolas Zukowsky (Human Powered Health) and César Martingil (Rádio Popular-Paredes-Boavista) thus quickly gain a 40 "lead, a margin which, after 20 kilometers, has grown to 2'45".
A leading the chase of the group is the Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl, which grants a maximum of 3'55 "to the pacemakers before slowly starting to recover, with the gap that in the following kilometers oscillates between 2'50" and 2'10 " ". At the beginning of the first GPM of the day, 90 kilometers from the end, the margin of the five attackers comes back to touch the 3 ', but along the Pomba climb the platoon comes back, passing on top with 2'20 ”delay. The following section, with several ups and downs, sees the Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl increase the pace a bit, but this pace is enough to bring down the lead of the fugitives to 1'15 ". Ion Izagirre retreat) and the stretch of plain that anticipate the penultimate GPM are finally fatal for the five protagonists of the day, who just before starting the ascent of Picota, 28 kilometers from the finish, are reabsorbed by the pursuers. Once the climb has begun, the various sprinters (including the leader Fabio Jakobsen) immediately lose contact, while the Alpecin-Fenix sets the pace; a pace that, however, still allows Iribar to attack despite the many kilometers already spent on the run. He is joined by Warren Barguil (Arkea-Samsic) and Delio Fernandez (Atum General / Tavira), who soon remains alone in the lead, even if only for a few kilometers.
From this point on, nothing really happens, with INEOS Grenadiers and Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl who limit themselves to controlling the situation on the final climb up to the very last meters, when Samuele Battistella breaks the delay, but is mocked by David Gaudu. The only note of the finale is a clash between Sergio Higuita (BORA-hansgrohe) and Tobias Foss (Jumbo-Visma), who hook up and end up on the ground, playing for a chance to win the stage.
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