Stage win and race lead for Lampre-ISD’s hilly classics specialist
Damiano Cunego (Lampre-ISD) won the second stage of the Giro di Sardegna (Tour of Sardinia) between Porto Rotondo and Nuoro, Monte Ortobene. The three-time Giro di Lombardia winner escaped a very select group on the final climb to the finish, outsprinting Jose Serpa (Androni Giocattoli), with Serpa’s teammate Emanuele Sella taking third.
After just 5km of the stage Mikhail Ignatyev (Katusha), David Boily (Spidertech p/b C10), Alessandro De Marchi (Androni Giocattoli), Elia Favilli (Franese Vini-Neri) and Alessandro Malaguti (Ora Hotels-Carrera) escaped the clutches of the peloton. Between them the five riders managed to build a maximum advantage of 7 minutes after 83km before the Liquigas-Cannondale peloton decided to act in defence of Peter Sagan’s leader’s jersey.
The lead was steadily reduced until they were finally pulled back at the beginning of the final climb to the finish.
The first to attack from the peloton were Stefano Pirazzi (Colnago-CSF Inox) and Philip Deignan (RadioShack) but they were pulled back with 4km to go. 3km to the finish a group of five riders got away, consisting of Sella, Serpa, Eros Capecchi (Liquigas-Cannondale), Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) and Robert Kiserlovski (Astana).
Simone Stortoni (Colnago-CSF Inox) made his way across to the leaders, followed by Sagan and Cunego; Pavel Brutt (Katusha), Ben Hermans (RadioShack) and Mauro Santambrogio (BMC Racing) also managed to join the lead group, so that most of the race’s main protagonists were now present.
Into the closing stages Capecchi tried to get away but Cunego jumped past him to take the win, closely followed by Serpa. Sagan could only manage fourth, behind Sella, missing out on the bonus seconds and so the Slovak loses the race lead to Cunego.
“It ‘was just a beautiful day,” Cunego told la Gazzetta dello Sport. “It does not necessarily end here though, we do not underestimate our opponents or the stages, but we will try to defend this jersey.”
Result stage 2
1. Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-ISD
2. Jose Serpa (Col) Androni Giocattoli
3. Emanuele Sella (Ita) Androni Giocattoli @ 2s
4. Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale
5. Ben Hermans (Bel) RadioShack
6. Eros Capecchi (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
7. Michele Scarponi (Ita) Lampre-ISD @ 8s
8. Robert Kiserlovski (Cro) Astana
9. Pavel Brutt (Rus) Katusha
10. Simone Stortoni (Ita) Colnago-CSF Inox
Standings after stage 2
1. Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-ISD
2. Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale @ 2s
3. Jose Serpa (Col) Androni Giocattoli @ 4s
4. Emanuele Sella (Ita) Androni Giocattoli @ 8s
5. Eros Capecchi (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale @ 12s