Chicchi kicks for second stage in a row

The finish didn't quite play out according to Omega Pharma-Quick Step's pre-race plan, but the Belgian ProTour squad is hardly complaining about the outcome of stage two at the Tour de San Luis. Race leader Francesco Chicchi won for the second straight day in a photo finish, this time against teammate Tom Boonen as both crossed the finish line in Juana Koslay with their arms triumphantly aloft.

"It's the first time I win two stages in a row during the same race, it's a great feeling," Chicchi said. "Winter training and the serene atmosphere in the team are bringing in great results. Let me thank my team once again. The guys raced a team time trial again today and they took Tom and I by the hand up until the very last kilometre."

American Jake Keough (UnitedHealthcare) infiltrated the ProTour sprinter scrum in the race finale for a fine third place finish and an appearance on the podium.

Omega Pharma-Quick Step had decided to set up Boonen for the win on stage 2, as Chicchi had already prevailed the previous day and the uphill finish appeared to suit Boonen's strengths better.

"I was supposed to help Boonen's sprint in the end, seeing as that was what we had decided during the morning meeting," said Chicchi. "I started the sprint with [Jimmy] Casper and Tom right on my wheel. About 300 meters from the finish line I looked behind me and I didn't see Tom anymore."

"It was pretty amazing," Boonen told Cyclingnews. "With one kilometre to go I thought I'd lost the sprint [Immediately after the finish Boonen thought he had won-ed.]. There was a little incident and I lost maybe 10 or 15 spots and Chicchi didn't see me. I came back to the front on Casper's wheel, then I was on Chicchi's wheel. He started the sprint, then I started my sprint, and in the last 50 metres we saw each other side-by-side. We both put our hands up, none of us jumped, and it was nice."

Chicchi picked up another stage winner's time bonus and extended his general classification lead over Juan Jose Haedo (Saxo Bank) to 14 seconds. With today's third place finish, Keough moves into third overall, 16 seconds off the pace.

No curveball from Mother Nature

Unlike Monday's opening stage in which apocalyptic rain and hail punished the peloton, Tuesday's 3pm start in Fraga was bathed in the expected sunshine and heat, reaching into the upper 80s Fahrenheit.

On the long, straight stretch of highway out of Fraga, which the peloton negotiated in the opposite direction on the previous day, the fireworks kicked off after 22km of racing as Antonio Cabrera (Chile) launched a solo attack. When Cabrera's advantage soon reached 2:30, three more riders went on the attack in pursuit of the solo Chilean: Edwin Avila (Colombia), Mauricio Neisa (Colombia-Comcel) and the irrepressible Emmanuel Guevara (San Luis Somos Todos), who escaped early in Monday's stage and spent the bulk of his day off the front.

Omega Pharma-Quick Step, with race leader Francesco Chicchi in its ranks, took the reins at the head of the peloton and kept the quartet at a manageable margin, maxing out at 5:30 and steadily creeping downwards.

Up the road, meanwhile, two intermediate sprints were on tap, at 59.2km and 100km, plus a solitary KOM, the category 3 La Florida at 85.5km, which provided motivation for the four escapees as the respective classifications were very much up for grabs. Guevara, who started the day in the mountains classification jersey, won the first intermediate sprint and claimed second in the next one to move into the overall lead.

Guevara, however, was shut out of any KOM points, as he finished fourth behind Neisa, Cabrera and Avila, and the Colombia-Comcel rider was rewarded with the mountains jersey at the stage finish.

Soon after contesting the final intermediate sprint Guevara was dropped from the break, leaving Neisa, Cabrera and Avila at the head of affairs. The trio put up a spirited effort, holding the peloton at bay through twisting, narrow roads, plus a lap of the hilly Potrero de los Funes auto race track, before finally being absorbed inside of 10 kilometres to go.

From there, the respective teams with sprinters worked feverishly to set up their fast men, with Omega Pharma-Quick Step showing that early in the race they have a stranglehold on bunch kick finales as Chicchi and Boonen locked up first and second.

The Tour de San Luis has its first foray into the surrounding mountains during Wednesday's third stage as the 168.2km parcours finishes atop the category one Mirador del Potrero climb. Earlier in the stage the peloton will cross the Tour de San Luis's highest elevation, 2,084m, on another category one ascent on a day which the general classification contenders should showcase their climbing form.

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