Eduard-Michael Grosu (Delko Marseille Provence) put in a late attack to clinch victory on stage 2 of the CRO Race, three seconds ahead of Alex Edmondson (Mitchelton-Scott) and Marko Kump (Adria Mobil), who rounded out the podium.
The Romanian took his fifth victory of the season from a reduced group of 35 riders on what was expected to be a sprint stage, though a mass crash in the peloton just 7km from the finish put paid to any hopes of a full bunch sprint.
With a ten-second bonus for winning the stage, plus the three seconds gained with his attack, Grosu now leads the race by five seconds from stage 1 winner Kump. Edmondon lies third overall, 13 seconds back, level with Yevgeniy Gidich (Astana).
After the finish, a spectator running on the road took out several riders, including Edmondson, Mattia Frapporti (Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec) and Cyril Gautier (Total Direct Énergie). Matej Mohorič (Bahrain-Merida) was also involved, and it later emerged that he would have to withdraw from the race before stage 3.
| Pos | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eduard-Michael Grosu (Rom) Delko Marseille Provence | 4:24:39 |
| 2 | Alex Edmondson (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott | 0:00:03 |
| 3 | Marko Kump (Slo) Adria Mobil | |
| 4 | Mattia Frapporti (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec | |
| 5 | Arvid De Kleijn (Ned) Metec - TKH Continental Cyclingteam p/b Mantel | |
| 6 | Cyril Gautier (Fra) Vital Concept-B&B Hotels | |
| 7 | Matej Mohorič (Slo) Bahrain-Merida | |
| 8 | John Mandrysch (Ger) P&S Metalltechnik | |
| 9 | Paolo Simion (Ita) Bardiani-CSF | |
| 10 | Timon Loderer (Ger) Team Hrinkow Advarics Cycleang |
| Pos | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eduard-Michael Grosu (Rom) Delko Marseille Provence | 8:51:52 |
| 2 | Marko Kump (Slo) Adria Mobil | 0:00:05 |
| 3 | Alex Edmondson (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott | 0:00:13 |
| 4 | Yevgeniy Gidich (Kaz) Astana Pro Team | |
| 5 | Matej Mohorič (Slo) Bahrain-Merida | 0:00:14 |
| 6 | Alexis Guerin (Fra) Delko Marseille Provence | 0:00:17 |
| 7 | Adam Yates (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott | 0:00:18 |
| 8 | Arvid De Kleijn (Ned) Metec - TKH Continental Cyclingteam p/b Mantel | 0:00:19 |
| 9 | John Mandrysch (Ger) P&S Metalltechnik | |
| 10 | Cyril Gautier (Fra) Total Direct Énergie |
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