Valentin Paret-Peintre was the team’s highest-ranked rider on the race’s first uphill finish.
More than three decades ago, Limone Piemonte (9.1km, 5.8%) witnessed a spectacular fight at the Giro d’Italia between the maglia rosa contenders, and on Sunday, the climb returned to the spotlight at the end of Vuelta’s second stage. Unlike 23 years ago, the gaps were much smaller, but that didn’t mean the finale wasn’t an exciting one.
T-Rex Quick-Step was there with several riders, including Valentin Paret-Peintre, who was our first man home in 14th place, just two seconds behind winner Jonas Vingegaard (Visma – Lease a Bike), while his teammate and Czech Tour victor Junior Lecerf made a spectacular jump on the general classification and is now 11th. Together with Mikel Landa, they were all part of the small group that arrived in the closing kilometer of this second stage, which had to wait for the explosive final meters to find out the name of the day’s winner.
On Monday, the Spanish Grand Tour will continue its journey on Italian soil with a hilly stage between San Maurizio Canavese and Ceres, a small town lying not far from the French border. A small fourth-category climb averaging around 3% is where the puncheurs and the few fast men able to overcome the gradients will fight for victory.
Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images
