Top five finish for UAE Team Emirates’ Modolo in windy stage two

Stage two wrapped up with UAE Team Emirates Italian sprinter Sacha Modolo crossing the finish line in fifth place. Meanwhile Belgian team Quick-Step Floors dominated the first two positions with Yves Lampaert snatching the overall leader’s Red Jersey from Rohan Dennis (BMC Racing) whilst his teammate Matteo Trentin came in second ahead of Adam Blythe (Aqua Blue Sport).

Commenting on his top five finish, Modolo commented: “It was an extremely nerve wrecking stage that was made harder with high speeds throughout and windy weather conditions. I managed to get into a good position and choose the right timing to start my sprint though I have to be honest, my legs felt quite heavy today and not in their best condition. Seeing as that was the case, fifth place is pretty good.”

The second stage of La Vuelta proved to be treacherous with UAE Team Emirates’ Moroccan rider, Anass Ait el Abdia getting caught up in a crash with half a dozen other riders- including Javi Moreno of Bahrain Merida and Marc Fournier (FDJ) – forcing him (broken right collarbone) to withdraw from the race.

Stage three takes riders to the Pyrenees, for what could be a very tough 158.5km in the saddle. A category one climb within the opening 32km is followed by over 60km of decent as riders approach the Catalan town of La Seu d’Urgell. As the Vuelta hits Andorra, there is a steep category one climb to contend with before a sprint and category two climb test the legs of the riders, with just 7km to go.

Stage 2 results

1 Yves Lampaert (Bel) Quick-Step Floors 4:36:13

2 Matteo Trentin (Ita) Quick-Step Floors

3 Adam Blythe (GBr) Aqua Blue Sport

5 Sacha Modolo (Ita) UAE Team Emirates

General classification after stage 2 

1 Yves Lampaert (Bel) Quick-Step Floors 4:52:07

2 Matteo Trentin (Ita) Quick-Step Floors +1’’

3 Daniel Oss (Ita) BMC Racing Team +3’’

62 Rui Alberto Faria da Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates +59’’