Tirreno-Adriatico: Pascal Ackermann wins stage 2

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Pascal Ackermann (Bora-hansgrohe) won stage 2 of the Tirreno-Adriatico, outpowering a trio of rivals in the final dash in Follonica.

The German sprinter opened up the sprint early and went head-to-head with Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates), Rick Zabel (Israel Start-Up Nation) and Davide Ballerini (Deceuninck-QuickStep). The race leader had just about enough power to cross the line in first, as Gaviria took another second place and Zabel rounded off the podium.

Ackermann, who produced a daredevil manoeuver on a way to stage 1 victory on Monday, could not afford to be zigzagging in today’s finish. The German went early but had enough in the tank and could raise his hand at the line for the sixth time this year, second time in the WorldTour race.

“I was strong all the time but I just missed a bit of luck. Maybe I wasn’t really 100 per cent trusting my lead-out guys because we never found this year. But we spoke before [the race], we changed something and now I think you can see the difference. And also the shift in my head is on now," Ackermann said at the finish line.

“This was a different sprint, another long one for me because I was too early in the wind, then I went back and then I said 'OK, just go and try how far you come'. It was the perfect length. I look forward to Saturday but tomorrow I will rest. It is a hard stage and I need to recover a bit: I was sick last week and was only one day on my bike.”

How it unfolded

The breathtaking four-man sprint in the final stood in stark contrast to the entire stage that preceded it. The peloton gathered in Italy and headed south on the second day of Tirreno-Adriatico, leaving Camaiore for Follonica, a town located on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea in Tuscany. 

The 201km route raced through provinces of Livorno, Pisa and Grossetto, and offered no significant obstacles, and the breakaway was expected to battle for points on the day’s only categorized climb in Castellina Marittima (98km) and the intermediate sprint that followed in Canneto (137km), both located on short ascents.

Nicola Bagioli (Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec), Umberto Orsini (Bardiani-CSF-Faizane), Edoardo Zardini (Vini Zabu-KTM) and Marco Canola (Gazprom-Rusvelo) formed an all-Italian breakaway of the day. The quarter built up a lead of 4:30 after 30 kilometres of racing but couldn’t extend the gap any further.

The peloton left marshalling duties to Bora-hansgrohe riders who were hoping to once again provide a launchpad for Pascal Ackermann’s ambitions. The German team therefore kept things under control and stabilised the gap at the two-and-a-half mark midway through the stage. Bagioli meanwhile took points in both the mountains and points classifications but the group was down to three riders as Canola sat up after the categorized climb.

There was little willingness to push on among the three leaders as the road flattened and no more prizes were in sight. The peloton wasn’t going to rush things either and the gap started yo-yoing from 50 seconds to 1:30 with 45 kilometres remaining.

The game of cat and mouse lasted for some time and only in the final 40 kilometres the bunch upped its training ride pace. Orsini was the last man standing in the way of the sprinters: after a solo move with 26 kilometres remaining, he managed to hold his ground for the next nine kilometres before being collected by the peloton.

Led by Ineos Grenadiers, Bora-hangrohe and CCC Team, the bunch navigated the streets of Follonica carefully, this time avoiding incidents. Turns taken at the front by Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) stretched out the field but coming into the last two kilometres Deceuninck-QuickStep and Israel Start-Up Nation teams looked best set for the final sprint, with Davide Ballerini and Davide Cimolai in the wheels.

The race leader stayed attentive, too. Ackermann’s blue jersey flashed at the front, almost in hesitation, and the German champion, alone at this point, led the charges with 200 metres to go. Out in the wind a bit too early, he decided to push on and launched his sprint around Ballerini, coming to the front on the right side of the road and seeing five rivals line up to his left. It was an all-in gamble but the 26-year-old timed his effort well and held off the competition by half a wheel.