Stage 2 Preview
Stage 2 profile and map
Alba – Parma
A sprinters' benefit
It's day two and already the riders must tackle the joint-second-longest stage of the race, which is equal in distance to the penultimate one. Heading east from Alba, home of some of the world's most expensive white truffles, stage 2 is flat bar a short climb 30km from the finish. The first rider over the top will wear the 2011 Giro's inaugural mountains jersey, but is unlikely to also celebrate the stage win in Parma, which provides a fitting finale given it will be National Bike Day. Cavendish and other sprinters are likely to be prominent, in view of the dearth of opportunities ahead for them.
Details
Distance: 244km
Highest point: 315m
Category: Flat stage
Scarponi says...
"The usual chaos in the morning. All the teams will want to be in the break, so it may take a while for the right one to stick. The last kilometre is technical, so the sprint will be a nervous affair. I'd be surprised if there aren't any crashes."
Map
Image ©: RCS Sport
Profile
Image ©: RCS Sport
Profile - Final kilometres
Image ©: RCS Sport
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
Tour de France Stage 9 Live: Can anyone stop Jonathan Milan in another sprint finish?
Another stage for the sprinters as the peloton tackle a pan-flat 174.1km route from Chinon to Châteauroux -
Giro d'Italia Women stage 8: Elisa Longo Borghini seals overall win as Liane Lippert triumphs on final stage
German racer takes second win of the week in Imola ahead of Anna van der Breggen and Marlen Reusser -
'You spend a lot of time with those guys' – Emotional Theuns reveals the bond of a Tour de France sprint team after Jonathan Milan's debut stage win
Belgian lead-out man helped Italian sprinter to a dominant win in Laval on stage 8, while another sprint lies ahead on Sunday -
UCl Gravel World Series – Femke Markus holds off Rosa Klöser to win Gravel One Fifty for elite women
Jordan Habets soloes to men's victory at home race in Netherlands