Vuelta a Burgos: Trentin victorious in Belorado

Matteo Trentin (Quick-Step Floors) celebrated his birthday with victory on stage 2 of the Vuelta a Burgos in Belorado, beating Adam Blythe (Aqua Blue Sport) and Tim Arisen (Roompot) in a bunch finish.

Trentin was well-marshalled by his Quick-Step Floors team in the finale, and lived up to his billing as pre-stage favourite by delivering a powerful sprint from distance and then holding off Blythe in the closing metres.

“There were seven strong riders in the break. Sky worked first and then we took over. The team worked very hard for me, they did a great job and I was able to win it,” Trentin said. “I think every stage on the Vuelta a Burgos is good for the team, Julian Alaphilippe and others can be up there tomorrow.”

Overnight leader Mikel Landa (Team Sky) finished safely in the main peloton to retain the purple jersey of race leader. The Basque is 2 seconds ahead of Sergei Chernetski (Astana), while Julian Alaphilippe (Quick-Step Floors) lies third, a further second back.

The stage was animated by an early break featuring Ben King (Dimension Data), Luis Más (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), Alexandre Pichot (Direct Energie), Juan Feliple Osorio (Manzana-Postobon), Dani Diaz (Delko-Marseille Provence), Sjoerd van Ginneken (Roompot) and Ibai Salas (Burgos-BH), which quickly established a lead of over three minutes on the peloton.

King and Diaz were in the early break for the second successive day, and both were particularly active here, with the American picking up two intermediate sprints and the Argentinian first to the top of the climb of Portillo de Busto.

Landa’s Sky teammates set about controlling the break’s advantage early on, and they were later joined in their endeavour by Cofidis. Together, they ensured the break’s lead never went beyond four minutes. When Quick-Step, with pre-stage favourite Trentin in mind, added their weight to the pursuit in the finale, the break’s advantage tumbled accordingly.

With 35 kilometres to go, the gap was down to 1:45, and the bunch’s deficit was less than a minute by the time the race entered the final 20 kilometres and the pace began to ratchet up in earnest. The peloton could see its prey on the flat, straight and exposed roads in the run-in, and the move was finally brought to heel with 10 kilometres remaining, though Mas kept up the resistance for another kilometre or so before he, too, was absorbed by the bunch.

Team Sky and Quick-Step were prominent at the head of the peloton in the breathless closing kilometres. With 4 kilometres to go, Gianni Moscon (Team Sky) attempted to upset the script by forging clear alone, but despite his best efforts, he never managed to build a lead of more than 50 metres, and he was soon caught by the bunch.

The speed thereafter meant that a bunch sprint was inevitable, and Trentin – who could rely on the help of Julian Alaphilippe in the finale – was well-positioned throughout. Part of the decisive break on stage 1, Trentin received some recompense for his efforts by winning here. On Thursday, the Vuelta a Burgos moves into the mountains with a summit finish at Picon Blanco, where the on-form Landa will again be expected to be to the fore.

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