O Gran Camiño: Carlos Canal takes home victory on stage 2 in reduced sprint finish

Local rider Carlos Canal (Movistar) has taken a long-sought first pro win victory from a front group of 30 riders on stage 2 of O Gran Camiño.

Led out by teammates Nelson Oliveira and Iván Romeo, the Galicia-born Canal blasted to the front of the group 200 metres from the line at Barreiros to claim the win.

Second on the slightly rising final kilometre, more than a bike length back, was Mats Wenzel (Equipo Kern Pherma) with Eric Fagundez (Burgos-Burpellet-BH) in third.

A pro since 2020, this was Canal's first victory of his career, and coming on home soil, it is all the more memorable.

"Finally, I got it, it's been a long way to get there, coming back to this race year after year, and we've finally got the win," Canal said after the stage.

"The team did an amazing job, I can't thank them enough, controlling it all and keeping everybody where they needed to be for me to go for the win."

"This was my first, but the race doesn't end until Saturday, though, so if we can take more wins, we will."

After the peloton split apart on the third-category Alto de Noceida, 22km from the end of the 149km stage, with stage 1 winner Julius Johansen (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) losing contact, veteran Portuguese racer Rafael Reis (Anicolor-Campicarn) moved into the race lead. He now holds a one-second lead over Oliveira in second overall.

How it unfolded

Approaching the first climb of the day, the third-category Alto da Gañidoira, three riders managed to get ahead – Jakub Otruba (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), Sinuhé Fernández (Burgos-Burpellet-BH) and Tomas Contte (Aviludo-Louletano-Loulé). This sparked a counter-move before the summit by Joaquim Silva (Efapel) and Danny van der Tuuk (Euskaltel-Euskadi). Then on the rolling downhill that followed, a further three attackers tested their luck:

Rúben Rodrigues (Feira dos Sofás-Boavista), Hugo Nunes (Credibom-LA Alumínios-Marcos Car) and finally Hubert Lamothe (Meridian Racing p/b de la Uz). After fusing with 91km to go and gaining an advantage of more than four minutes on the peloton, the break of the day was definitively formed.

Of the eight, Otruba, a former Czech National TT champion, fifth in the Camino's opening time trial and just 39 seconds down on winner and race leader Johansen, had the most to gain GC-wise. However, major pressure from UAE in the pack led much of that advantage to crumple, although Otruba was still out front with Fernández and Contte as they roared through the finish line to begin a 45km local lap that ended the stage.

Moving up the short, punchy climb of third-category climb of Alto de Noceida (2.6km at 8.4%), with some stretches at 11%, situated 19km from the line, Otruba tried to go clear. His advantage of 45 seconds, though, was evaporating rapidly. Johansen, meanwhile, was already struggling slightly, while teammate and arch-favourite Adam Yates kept a sharp eye on key GC challenger Iván Romeo (Movistar).

Over the summit, Otruba still had 35 seconds margin as the peloton swept up the remainder of the break, only for the main group to shatter under Romeo's pressure across the top. Johansen, losing around 15 seconds at that point on the important 30-rider group that emerged, still led by Romeo, was forced to chase in person.However, he ended up cracking even more badly. Meanwhile, Otruba was caught some 15km from the line.

As soon as Otruba was caught, the attacks from the Romeo-led group began thick and fast, but on such a fast downhill to the finish, none could stick. Anicolor-Campicorn, working for Reis, second on GC, tried to keep the pace high, causing a brief attack by George Bennett (NSN) to fold rapidly.

Then another move by Nelson Oliveira, well-placed on GC and looking for his first win in a decade, allowed him to open a small gap with three kilometres to go, but a small cohort of Caja Rural riders finally sucked him back in.

UAE and Jesús Herrada still led in the final kilometre yet when Movistar began their concerted drive for Canal, courtesy of the tireless Romeo, it proved futile. The local rider was determined to get his first-ever pro victory and was perfectly placed in fourth position heading into the final 500 metres. After Oliveira provided some extra pressure, and Romeo followed suit, Canal made sure the win was his.

Stage 3 is a fairly uncomplicated 169km stage from Carballo to Padrón, although a long, if steady, second-category ascent of Alto Pico Muralla late on and some short unclassified climbs immediately afterwards might see some GC action.

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