Tour de France, 2nd stage: another tough 200 km in the second part, with the double climb towards the basilica (2 km at 10%) which could inspire the Slovenian, to bring Vingegaard and his other rivals out into the open. Bettiol and Ciccone to try to be protagonists after yesterday’s good start.
It will be a hellish Sunday, also due to the heat which will hit the runners very hard, but truly beautiful and spectacular with a dream audience in Bologna.
Emilia-Romagna, after yesterday’s arrival in Rimini, welcomes its stage completely on the regional territory, the second of a Tour de France which faces the historic Italian Grand Depart with a very demanding day, even more so than the opening that did not see the big names move.
Today, however, it is highly probable that Tadej Pogacar can light the fuse, in the conclusion of the 199 km starting from Cesenatico in homage to Marco Pantani and finishing in the regional capital; on the menu, the climbs to Monticino and Cima Gallisterna (the key climb of the 2020 Imola World Championship) at over 100 km from the finish, then more flat before starting to climb again at -60 with Botteghino di Zocca, Montecalvo (almost 3 very hard km less than 50 km from the gong) and then at just over 30 km from the finish here is the first climb to San Luca.
The symbolic climb of the Giro dell’Emilia, with its 2 km at an average of 10%, will be tackled again at -15 in the city circuit which will then see the group tackle the false flat at the summit, the challenging descent towards the heart of Bologna with the final 6 km on the flat.
From Pogacar, 4th in Rimini, to Roglic (who has always done very well on the San Luca) and Evenepoel himself, but with names that can fit in like the Yates twins, Carapaz, Bettiol himself (yesterday 10th and best Italian), Pidcock and maybe the yellow jersey Bardet, the prediction is definitely open and the first mission for the two-time reigning champion of the Tour, Jonas Vingegaard, will be to defend himself on such an “explosive” course and considering that the Dane, who started well, cannot be in ideal condition after what happened at Itzulia.
At 12.35 pm the start from km 0, conclusion around 5.20 pm with live TV from 12.00 pm on Eurosport 1 (and the Discovery+ platform) and Rai Sport, with passage from 2.05 pm on Rai 2.
