The climbs are bigger on stage 2, with the long climb up Bear Creek Road and the slightly easier (but similarly categorised) Summit Road following. This crests with 23km to go and will be a tough ask for most of the sprinters to survive on the way to the finish.
Tejay Van Garderan may be expected to do well here along with Rabon, Van den Broeck and Van den Hugenhaben all of whom featured in the finale yesterday. Though Red Bull trio Bobridge, Cancellara and race leader Van Stayen will attempt to survive along with yesterday's runner up Daryl Impey.
It may be that riders like Daniel Martin or Luis Leon Sanchez try something on the big categorised climbs particularly with a tempting bonus sprint on the way to the finish. We will have to wait and see.
Things settle down very quickly this morning with the first attackers forming the days break.
Medvedev, Howard, Reichenbach and Van Goolan make the move. The latter rider being to only one who finished in the lead group yesterday. A clever move you'd think by the Belgian.
Predictably Van Goolan romps away with the first early sprint.
This brings him to just 14 seconds down on GC provisionally if he gets caught and remains in the pack at the end. Bizarrely though Howard (who gained nothing on the first sprint) and Riechenbach sprint for the second hotspot.
Howard getting the nod over Reichenbach, Van Goolan back in third place. Medvedev saving his energies for later.
We fast forward to the big double climb of the day.
The breaks lead was at one point nearly six minutes but Simply Red Bull have been chasing it down hard.
By the foot of the first climb the gap is just 2.25 and Greipal has already been dropped!
The tactic seems to be that Simply Red Bull don't want a fierce pace on the long first climb as they ease off on the climbing allowing the break of four's lead to extend back up to three minutes.
Howard is not taking any turns just pulling himself inside out to stay with the three climbers Van Goolan, Medvedev and Reichenbach.
Things though are not becalmed up front as Simply Red Bull's peaceful climb is broken by David De La Fuente, Pellizotti and Ardila joining him with 7.5km of this first climb left.
Nerz and Wyss join in the fun.
Cancellara is on the front of a slimmed down 90 man pack. Pendleton's look poised to help the struggling Red Bullers out.
Oscar Guerao is among those dropped, as is Wesley Kreder who made it with the front group yesterday and is trying to get across alone.
The trouble is he is just making it across to another dropped group of riders that contains Reynes, Steenson and Summerhill amongst others.
65km to go and 4km to the crest of Bear Creek here is the race situation.
Van Goolan, Medvedev, Reichenbach, Howard lead
De La Fuente, Wyss, Nerz, Ardila and Pellizotti at 2.09
70 man pack at 2.48
Kreder group at 4.27
Guerao group 6.34
Griepal group at 9.40
Howard having gamely battled for most of the climb has to let go near the top.
Medvedev takes the maximum KoM points over Van Goolan and Reichenbach.
Howard takes fourth on his own 30 seconds back and at a minute 20, De La Fuente attacks to take fifth place points over Wyss and Nerz.
Cancellara leads the now 62 man pack over, none of the favourites have been dropped and Kreder continues to battle to get back a minute or so behind the lead pack.
45km to go, we have our lead trio.
Van Goolan, Reichenbach and Medvedev.
Then the chase group of six (Howard caught on descent by five).
Pellizotti, Wyss, De La Fuente, Ardila, Nerz and Howard at 1.04
Simply Red Bull lead the chase with Bobridge helping out Cancellara at 1.49.
The Kreder group is at 3.32 with splinter groups scattered out behind.
The chase group sit up early on in the climb as Pearl Adidas and Wikipedia play close order to the man machine Cancellara who continues an infernal pace.
Again though as the slope rises Cancellara eases off slightly, this inspires some more attacking from opportunists.
Pellizotti, Nerz, Wyss again move on the attack with Klemme attaching himself to this move.
These four push on up towards the break with Klemme looking as you'd expect having not attacked before by far the strongest. However upon getting to the wheels of the lead three the leaders start increasing the pace.
Nerz and Wyss struggle to follow all the moves with Pellizotti sitting with Van Goolan and Medvedev just behind Reichenbach and Klemme.
This becomes our status quo.
35km to go.
Reichenbach and Klemme lead.
van Goolen, Medvedev, Pellizotti at 34 seconds
Wyss at 1.03
Nerz at 1.18
Bobridge lead pack at 1.39
Kreder group at 3.40
Reichenbach nabs the KoM points at the top of this Summit road with Van Goolan taking the third place ahead of Medvedev it means the UBS man will take the King of the Mountains jersey.
1km from the top of the climb Impey is dropped, with Holloway dropped one klick earlier.
The South African grits his teeth though and gets back on very quickly on the descent.
The descent allows fusion at the front two as Van Goolan, Pellizotti, Medvedev join Reichenbach and Klemme before the intermediate sprint.
Klemme takes it over Rechenbach and Pellizotti stringing it out even more.
The leaders go under the 20km to go banner with Wyss almost having caught them. A pretty epic lone battle by the Wiggle rider.
The gap to the 49 man peloton is just under a minute though Red Bull remain in charge of this chase through Cancellara and Bobridge.
Impey has made it back, but Holloway is now over three minutes back close to being mopped up by the Kreder group who have vainly battled the latter half of this stage to get back.
The break realise this isn't going to be there day and sit up on the descent, the catch made with 12km to go.
Red Bull remain in control to the sprint time, we peek at who is in contention with 4.3 km to go.
Cancellara, Bobridge, Van Stayen, Impey, Valls, Granjel Cabrera, Sanchez Gil, Martin, Van den Hugenhaben and De La Fuente.
Van Garderen and Van Den Broeck are a little way back here today, perhaps gambling on the lack of energy for the Red Bulls.
Klemme and Pedraza join the sprint train behind De La Fuente with Pavarin and Rabon as Martin and Van Den Hugenhaben drop back.
Being a hilly finish they all start sprinting all at one as we hit 2.7km to go.
Van Stayen goes immediately to the front with Valls as Impey just goes backwards with Granjel Cabrera hardly moving forwards.
2km to go.
Van Stayen and Valls lead.
Albasini, Margoliot, Ardila, Van Den Broeck, Wyss, Nerz, Frank are on the left hand side.
Granjel Cabrera, Rabon , Van Den Hugenhaben and Skujin are in the middle.
on the right are De La Fuente, Sanchez Gil, Klemme, Pedraza, Martin, Denifl, TvG.
By the way right at the back of the pack is Contador.
Under the banner, Van Stayen is tying up here with Van Den Broeck challenging in the left.
Rabon and Van Den Hugenhaben are forcing their way through, Van Garderen looks blocked.
750m to go.
Van Stayen is fading completely and will possibly lose the jersey to a stage winner on countback. Van Den Broeck looks good with Granjel Cabrera, Van den Hugenhaben and Skujins coming through.
450m left.
Granjel Cabrera is struggling now as Van den Hugenhaben challenges Van Den Broeck. Skujins is ahead of Van Garderen with Dan Martin possibly in the hunt for a podium.
There is the line.
Martin does indeed look set for a podium finish.
It is a tight one.
Van den Hugenhaben gets the nod and the leaders jersey over VdB, Martin, Denifl, Skujins, Pedraza, TVG and De La Fuente.
No gaps for Contador.
So Van Den Hugenhaben takes the race lead from Van Stayen who finished 26th after launching that long sprint. Van den Broeck moves up to third ahead of Pavarin and Impey. Riders down to 47th being on the same time.
Stage results
Rank
Name
Team
Time
1
Robin van der Hugenhaben
Koenigsegg
4h38'28
2
Jurgen Van den Broeck
Team Puma - SAP
s.t.
3
Daniel Martin
Pendleton's
s.t.
4
Stefan Denifl
Wikipedia
s.t.
5
Toms Skujins
Vesuvio - Accumalux
s.t.
6
Walter Pedraza
Koenigsegg
s.t.
7
Tejay Van Garderen
Wikipedia
s.t.
8
David De la Fuente
Lotto - Cervelo
s.t.
9
Christophe Kern
Pokerstars.com
s.t.
10
Rafael Valls
Santander
s.t.
11
Tiago Machado
Pearl Adidas
s.t.
12
Matthias Frank
UBS - BMC
s.t.
13
Frantisek Rabon
Milka - AVG
s.t.
14
Domenik Klemme
Team B&O
s.t.
15
Ricardo Van der Velde
Team Bacardi
s.t.
16
Ran Margaliot
Simply Red Bull
s.t.
17
Fredrik Kessiakoff
Team WWE
s.t.
18
Michael Albasini
UBS - BMC
s.t.
19
Raúl Granjel Cabrera
Koenigsegg
s.t.
20
Amets Txurruka
Team WWE
s.t.
21
Luis Leon Sanchez Gil
Project 1t4i
s.t.
22
Jack Bauer
Heineken presented by California Giant Berry Farms
s.t.
23
Mauricio Ardila
Team WWE
s.t.
24
Marcel Wyss
Wiggle Professional Cycling Team
s.t.
25
Amaël Moinard
Simply Red Bull
s.t.
26
Michael Van Stayen
Simply Red Bull
s.t.
27
Tanel Kangert
Pearl Adidas
s.t.
28
Konstantin Siutsou
Pendleton's
s.t.
29
Arnold Jeannesson
Heineken presented by California Giant Berry Farms
s.t.
30
Janez Brajkovic
Heineken presented by California Giant Berry Farms
