A flat stage and some respite to the riders. Yesterday's stage wasn't very hard, but Stage 1 was hard enough for some to still be feeling it's effects!
Favourites
FLA
SPR
ACC
Van Asbroeck
75
80
78
Peeters
72
79
77
Stallaert
77
79
76
Kreder
73
78
80
Just four riders remain from our original favourites list, with Lierse in especially good position to come out on top on this stage.
Six riders form the break of the day, with some familiar names from yesterday.
Naesen Sakala Brynjolfsson Marcos Gradek Dillier
No real danger to the GC from any of the riders, with Marcos at 29 minutes being the highest placed.
Naesen, Brynjolfsson, Marcos is the order through the first intermediate sprint. The break already have a 7 minutes' lead.
Halfway through and there's no chase in the peloton. The gap has increased to 11 minutes, which means Marcos is now into the Top 15.
15 kilometers to go for the break. The gap is down lightly to 10 minutes. It was 13 minutes at it's peak. The pack has sped up enough to be closing in, but they've left the stage win to the breakaway here.
12 km to go. 30 km/hr winds have caused a split in the pack, as they look to speed up further. Bohli (GC 17th), Albert (GC 4th), Lindeman (GC 19th), Eeckhout (GC 9th), Kosic (GC 13th), Zepuntke (16th GC), Sinkeldam (8th GC), Ostergaard (GC 12th), Spengler (GC 18th), Dahl-Olsen (GC 14th), are those in the Top 20 and on the wrong side of the split.
The peloton would come back together with 8 km to go.
The break are still together with 3 km remaining. Their gap is down to just under 8 minutes but they know the stage will be won by one of them. Perhaps they're conserving energy for that final push.
15 riders dropped from the peloton again. Ostergaard, Spengler, Kosic and Dahl-Olsen among those in the dropped group.
Up ahead, the break reach the final kilometer with Naesen and Gradek at the front. Brynjolfsson following closely behind.
They're sprinting and it's still the same duo in the lead. Brynjolfsson can't keep up.
200 meters left. Naesen is extending his lead. Sakala has nearly caught Gradek for 2nd. Marcos is closing in on the Top 3.
Naesen wins! Sakala takes 2nd ahead of Gradek.
Marcos is 4th, ahead of Dillier and Brynjolfsson.
In the peloton, Lierse is setting up a train for Van Asbroeck. This will be only for 7th place though. Gallopin accelerating on the left to keep up.
Gallopin sets up the Delvaux train beautifully and takes the lead.
The Delvaux train would slow down, but Lierse themselves run out of leadouts with a kilometer to go. Domene and Debesay are on Van Asbroeck's tail.
Neck and neck between Van Asbroeck and Kreder with 500 meters remaining. The Delvaux rider has made up a lot of ground. Bohli and Van Poppel are closing in on the far side too.
Van Asbroeck has lost his momentum, and is well and truly out of the reckoning for a Top 10. Kreder still out ahead. Van Poppel is the next furthest forward.
Van Poppel does indeed finish strongly to clinch 7th. Kreder hangs on for 8th, ahead of a charging Lindeman.
Vedel Kvist completes the Top 10.
Today's winner - Lawrence Naesen.
Marcos the big gainer on the stage, as he moves up to 21st in the GC. No other time gaps were awarded, except for Broers who was dropped in the run-in and cruised to the line.
There is however a change at the to of the GC! Ferreira's 11th place on the stage, and Summerhill's lower finish means that the former is now the GC leader by count-back! Ferreira extends his lead in the Points classification as well, with Naesen now in 2nd place. Kumara retains his U25 jersey for another day.
