Giro di Sicilia: Molano goes back-to-back with stage 2 victory

Juan Sebastián Molano (UAE Team Emirates) won stage 2 of the Giro di Sicilia to Mondello near Palermo with yet another perfect lead out from teammate Maximiliano Richeze. 

Vincenzo Nibali and Trek-Segafredo guided the peloton to the Mondello seafront and through a final chicane but then UAE Team Emirates and Richeze took control in the final 500 metres before Molano accelerated to victory. 

Filippo Fiorelli (Bardiani-CSF) was second but was then relegated for moving off his line in the sprint. Matteo Moschetti (Trek-Segafredo) was promoted to second place. 

Thanks to the time bonuses, Molano extended his overall race lead to 14 seconds. Moschetti is second and Vincenzo Albanese (Eolo-Kometa) is third at the same time.

“I’ve got to thank the team yet again, not only for the finish but for all the day, in the way they controlled the race,” Molano said. 

“The lead out was perfect with Brandon McNulty doing a great job and then Maxi Richeze leading me out until 150 metres to go. Yesterday’s win was great but today’s was perfect.” 

Molano confirmed that UAE Team Emirates will now ride for McNulty in the decisive mountain stages on Thursday and Friday. The American won the 2019 Giro di Sicilia while riding for Rally Cycling. 

Yet again, the early breakaway of the stage was allowed to hang out front until the final kilometres of the stage.

Txomin Juaristi (Euskaltel – Euskadi), Emerson Oronte (Rally Cycling), Giacomo Cassarà (Amore e Vita), Niccolò Salvietti (MGKvis), Eric Paties Montagner (Work Service Marchiol) and Stefano Gandin (Zalf Euromobil Fior) were allowed to open a four minute lead after 50km but UAE Team Emirates lead the chase, with the USA’s Joe Dombrowski doing a lot of the work as the stage climbed inland and north towards Palermo. 

Later Trek-Segafredo also helped the chase, with only Juaristi staying away on the second categorised climb of the stage with 20km to go. 

Giovanni Bortoluzzi (Work Service Marchiol Vega) was allowed to hang out front along the spectacular coast road and past the memorial that remembers anti-mafia magistrate Giovanni Falcone, his wife Francesca Morvillo, and three police escort agents who were killed by a roadside bomb in 1992. 

Marc Soler (Movistar) tried to split the peloton with six kilometres to go and caught Bortoluzzi but the sprinters’ teams and especially UAE Team Emirates had no intention of letting another victory escape their grasp.