Adriatica Ionica Race: Viviani wins stage 2

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Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors) won stage 2 of the Adriatica Ionica Race in a bunch sprint in Maser to retain the overall lead. It was Viviani’s 11th win of a sparkling debut campaign for Quick-Step, and it brought his team’s running tally of victories for the season to 40.

Already in the blue jersey of race leader after leading Quick-Step across the line in their victorious team time trial effort on stage 1, Viviani was an assured winner in Maser, delivering a fine sprint to see off the challenge of fellow countryman Simone Consonni (UAE-Team Emirates), while Mihkel Räim (Israel Cycling Academy) came home in third ahead of Manuel Belletti (Androni-Sidermec).

“The big question mark was the prospect of movement in the finale, so we lifted the pace before Asolo, but as we expected, there were still attacks, so we rode on the defensive,” Viviani said. “[Niki] Terpstra was pivotal in closing down Brambilla, Conti and Canola. After that, it was a question of a sprint where hardly anyone had any legs left. The last 100 metres were going to be decisive, with the curve in the road, so I knew I had to go from that side.

"Unfortunately [James] Knox and [Jhonatan] Narvaez crashed and we've lost two men for the GC, so this win is for them."

After a brisk start to proceedings, the day’s early break sallied clear in the opening kilometres, with Javier Montoya (Trevigiani Phonix Hemus 1896), Enrico Logica (Biesse Carrera Gavardo) and Matteo Draperi (Sangemini MG. K Vis Vega) establishing a maximum advantage of four minutes before the Quick-Step Floors squad took up the reins of pursuit in the peloton.

The stage was punctuated by two category 3 climbs, with Logica leading the escapees over the ascent of Montello and Draperi claiming maximum points atop the ascent to Paderno, where their lead was still north of three minutes.

Shortly after that climb, Montoya opted to attack, and the Colombian faced into the final 50 kilometres alone at the head of the race. Draperi and Logica were swept up with 30 kilometres remaining, but Montoya still had an almost two-minute buffer on the bunch at that point as he continued his brave solo raid.

UAE-Team Emirates put their shoulders to the wheel soon afterwards, with Manuele Mori prominent, while Trek-Segafredo later joined the chase effort, and Montoya was caught with 18 kilometres remaining.

Guy Niv (Israel Cycling Academy) and Gianluca Brambilla (Trek-Segafredo) went on the attack on the approach to Asolo, but their move was thwarted by the forcing of Bahrain-Merida.

The finale, meanwhile, was animated by an attack from Valerio Conti (UAE-Team Emirates), who was joined in his offensive by Marco Canola (Nippo-Vini Fantini). The duo gamely defended a lead of 10 seconds on the run-in, but they were eventually swept up on the cusp of the final kilometre thanks to the chasing of Trek-Segafredo on behalf of Giacomo Nizzolo.

In the bunch finish, however, Nizzolo was powerless to prevent Viviani from notching up another fine victory in his first outing since he claimed four stage wins and the points classification at the Giro d’Italia.

“My condition is super,” Viviani acknowledged. “I rested after the Giro and recovered well. If I had been in normal condition, I’d never have managed to do a sprint like that in a stage like today’s.”

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