Mathieu van der Poel of Alpecin-Premier Tech surged to victory on stage 2 of Tirreno-Adriatico, narrowly defeating Isaac del Toro of UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Giulio Pellizzari from Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe in a three-man uphill sprint finish in San Gimignano.
The decisive move came in the final 8km when Van der Poel launched a powerful attack on a long gravel sector, creating a small breakaway with Del Toro and Pellizzari. Although Del Toro managed to close down the Dutchman when he attempted to go solo, Van der Poel ultimately had the speed and the balance on slick paving stones to take the win in the final sprint.
His ride was not without drama. Van der Poel nearly lost control after slipping on a wet gravel corner but managed to stay upright and continued working with Del Toro to keep the chasing group at bay. The same slippery section caused a crash for Thymen Arensman of Ineos Grenadiers, who lost significant time in the general classification after finishing second in the opening time trial.
Despite finishing runner-up, Del Toro moved into the overall race lead, holding a three-second advantage over Pellizzari. The Mexican rider will wear the blue leader’s jersey on stage 3, taking it from stage 1 winner Filippo Ganna of Ineos Grenadiers, who finished more than a minute behind and surrendered the lead.
Van der Poel admitted afterward that beating two rising stars was far from easy, especially given the worsening conditions. Rain during the final half hour made the climb and the sprint particularly hazardous. He credited his team for setting up the move that shaped the race.
The Dutchman explained that his aggressive accelerations on the gravel were deliberate, as he wanted to make the race as selective as possible, particularly through the technical corners. When the sprint began, the wet and slippery road made it difficult to stand on the pedals, but he managed his effort carefully and preserved just enough energy to claim the stage victory.
Van der Poel also noted that his main objective at the race is preparation for the upcoming Classics, including Milan-San Remo, though he was pleased to secure a stage win after coming close several times in previous editions.
Earlier in the 206km stage from Camaiore to San Gimignano, a four-man breakaway featuring Manuele Tarozzi, Joan Bou, Alessandro Iacchi and Diego Sevilla built an early advantage of about two and a half minutes. The peloton allowed them some freedom before gradually increasing the pace, particularly on the long Castelnuovo Val di Cecina climb.
The escapees were eventually caught with 39km remaining, setting up the tense finale on gravel and the steep ascent into San Gimignano. In the end, Pellizzari launched the sprint first and briefly opened a gap, but Van der Poel clawed his way back alongside him and edged ahead on the line, while Del Toro surged late but had to settle for second.
A chasing group finished 15 seconds later, with Magnus Sheffield the best-placed GC rider among them, moving up to third overall. Ganna crossed the line 45th, 1:04 behind the winner, bringing his brief spell in the leader’s jersey to an end, while Arensman fought back to limit his losses to 1:38 though his hopes in the general classification appear largely over.
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