Peter Sagan (Tinkoff-Saxo) finished second behind Jens Debusschere (Lotto Soudal) in the crash-affected Tirreno-Adriatico sprint in Cascina but found consolation for yet another placing by moving up to second overall in the same time as stage 1 time trial winner Adriano Malori (Movistar).
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He could take the race lead at the end of Friday’s third stage to Arezzo if he finishes in the top three and collects one of the 10, 6 or 4-second time bonuses.
“Second is always better than third or fourth… I went for it but then the guy who won (Debusschere) moved across slightly and we touched wheels and I stopped pedalling. I went again but it was a crazy sprint. Today, it was very important to stay out of trouble and we had to be very attentive to avoid crashes and injuries. I will go into the third stage standing second overall and we will see what happens.”
Sagan will have special support from teammate Daniele Bennati, who comes from Arezzo and knows every inch of the finishing circuit that the riders cover five times during the 213km stage.