Key Takeaways: Giro d'Italia Stage 2

Breaking down how an unorthodox early summit finish dramatically shaped the three-week long race after a single weekend of racing

Below the imposing ancient Basilica at the top of the famous Oropa summit finish in the foothills of the Italian Alps, Tadej Pogacar, after emulating Marco Pantani due to being forced to change bikes after suffering an ill-timed flat tire and subsequent crash at the base of the final climb, stamped his authority on the 2024 Giro d’Italia by laying down a seemingly unstoppable attack halfway up the slopes before riding clear for the stage win and seizing the coveted race lead after just the second day of racing. Behind, Dani Martínez and Geraint Thomas proved themselves to be formidable GC contenders after coming over the line in second and third and entering an elite group of riders who remain within a minute of the new race leader.

Stage 2 Top Five:
1) Tadej Pogačar (UAE) +0
2) Dani Martínez (Bora) +27
3) Geraint Thomas (Ineos) +27
4) Lorenzo Fortunato (Astana) +27
5) Florian Lipowitz (Bora) +27

Select GC Standings After Stage 2:
1) Tadej Pogačar (UAE) +0
2) Geraint Thomas (Ineos) +45
3) Dani Martínez (Bora) +45
4) Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma-LAB) +54
5) Einer Rubio (Movistar) +54
6) Lorenzo Fortunato (Astana) +1’05
7) Juan Pedro López (Lidl-Trek) +1’09
8) Jan Hirt (Soudal-QuickStep) +1’11
9) Esteban Chaves (EF Education-EasyPost) +1’24
10) Ben O’Connor (Decathlon-AG2R) +1’24

BTP's Giro d’Italia Key Takeaways Coverage is brought to you by RedWhite Apparel®

RedWhite makes Long Distance Bibshorts and their goal is to become your Go-To bibshort supplier. RedWhite is laser-focused on bibshorts and doesn’t produce any other product.

• RedWhite Apparel®’s signature bibshort, The BIB, contains a heat-molded pad that stays plush mile after mile. The BIB is the go-to option for riders doing AUDAX rides over 600 miles in length.

• Get your pair at www.redwhite.cc (free worldwide express shipping)

• Use their Sizing Helpdesk to get a personalised size recommendation

• BTP Testimonial: The RedWhite Long Distance Bibshort was more than comfortable during a recent 5+ hour BWR gravel race

---

Stage 2 Race Notebook

BTP is seamlessly following every twist and turn of the 2024 Giro d’Italia with the fantastic Tour Tracker app (iPhone/Android/Web)

142.8km-to-go: After an intriguing battle for the early breakaway, Ineos, at least in my opinion, makes a massive error by caving to the pressure to defend the leader’s jersey and getting to the front to set the pace and keep the breakaway at a close enough gap that they can contest the stage win. Meanwhile, Pogacar and his UAE team get a free ride.

11.2km: Heading into the base of the final climb, Geraint Thomas smartly picks up a two-second time bonus while at the front with his Ineos team, while Pogačar crashes after his tubeless tire blows off the rim after he attempted to take a corner with a deflated tire (I suspect UAE will have a new team rule for the rest of this Giro about stopping immediately and waiting for a new bike after getting a flat on tubeless tires), which forces him to get back on the bike and attempt to replicate Marco Pantani’s famous win atop the same climb after being forced to get a wheel change at the base after suffering a flat.

10.2km: UAE, clearly feeling confident in Pogačar, has two riders casually drop back to chase back on while leaving others at the front of the Ineos-led peloton.

8.9km-6.6km: After Pogačar catches back on, his UAE team gets to the front to set a hard, but steady, pace. Due to the fact that they didn’t have to work during the earlier portion of the stage, UAE has a full fleet of domestiques to whittle down the rest on the 8% slopes.

4.6km: As the peloton approaches the steepest part of the climb, UAE’s final domestique, Rafał Majka, increases the pace, which begins to send riders like Thymen Arensman and Luke Plapp out the back.

4.5km: Majka pulls off, and Pogačar attacks when they hit a particularly steep part of the climb. Unlike previous races, his initial move wasn’t overly powerful, which allowed the riders on his wheel, Ben O’Connor and Geraint Thomas, to follow him. However, it is still high enough that anyone not directly on the wheel can’t follow and is immediately dropped.

4.3km: After his initial surge, Pogačar continues to hold a high, steady pace, which sees him pull out a gap to Thomas and the rest of the GC contenders, who realize that attempting to follow the surge is merely a trap, which O’Connor falls for by hanging on Pogačar’s wheel.

3.4km-1.7km: As his lead grows, Pogačar settles into a fast but sustainable tempo, while O’Connor, who is reeled in by a steady Thomas and a surging Cian Uijtdebroeks, begins to fade before being dropped by the chase group entirely.

Finish: Pogačar, looking a bit fatigued, casually crosses the finish line to win the stage and take the overall race lead.

Chase Group Finish: Behind, Dani Martínez grabs second while Thomas gets third. A resurgent Florian Lipowitz and Lorenzo Fortunato finish on the same time, while Uijtdebroeks fades slightly and comes in three seconds further behind.

Key Takeaways

1) Contrary to Public Opinion, Pogačar Already Has a Firm Grip on This Giro d’Italia: Despite crashing at the base of the climb and being forced to spend a significant amount of energy to simply get even with the front group, Pogačar won the stage and slotted into a fairly comfortable GC lead after just two days of racing.