Welcome to day number 2 of the 2022 Tour of America! We're back in New York, where we'll again stay all day long - the riders will stay on a roughly 20km long circuit, ridden 6 times. Plus a final lap - just around Central Park.
They'll start to the West of Central Park, next to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir. We'll discover all the sights and places on the circuit following the riders on the first lap, so we won't go into more detail here.
Let's rather talk about what's at stake today! In total - given that we've got two intermediate sprints, both just next to Flat Iron Building - there are 32 bonus seconds and 70 sprint points available. Which means that 83 riders theoretically are within reach of the race lead - if the stage ends in a bunch sprint like we all expect, that is.
Van Asbroeck is the top candidate to take the yellow jersey from Pluchkin's shoulders, as he's only 4" back - winning an intermediate sprint would already be sufficient to overtake the Moldovan. Frame and Mareczko (both + 12") would need the equivalent of a 2nd-place finish (or two bonus sprints), while Stash (+ 14"), Boudat (+ 18") and Edmondson (+ 19") are all within one stage win's worth of bonus seconds, too. So those seem to be the most likely names to get to wear the leader jersey tonight.
Of those, however, the bookies only really fancy Van Asbroeck's chances, awarding him three stars. Eislers and defending points champion Haller are on top of their list, too. Coutinho, Bennett and Krieger are next, while Boudat should still have some slim hopes, as he rounds off the list alongside Aniolkowski, Lutsyshyn and Nizzolo. Let's find out who really takes that win today!
What happened so far
It's a beautiful day here in New York, as we have almost clear skies above us. No wind today, so echelons shouldn't be a factor - despite the pretty twisting course. As said before, the start line - crossed 7 times in total - was just to the West of Central Park, next to the Reservoir.
About one kilometer into the race, the riders arrived next to The Lake, with the Bow Bridge crossing it - and that was when Richardson launched the very first attack of this race! Redy and Nolf immediately joined him.
As the peloton arrived at Columbus Circle, the three escapees were about to enter the Broadway - one of the few non-perpendicular roads here, and of course a famous one with its dozens of theatres! However, for once the biggest show of the day will take place on the final stretch on 5th Avenue, and not in the Theatre district.
Riding along the Broadway, the peloton eventually encounters the Flat Iron Building, unmistakeable by its triangular - or flat iron - shape.
Madison Square Park is in the surroundings as well, but the riders won't have time to take a break on the swings, or just enjoy a tree's shadow.
The riders then descend to East River - or almost - recognizing Williamsburg Bridge from the distance. They won't cross that one today, though, taking the other direction.
But it's not as if there weren't any bridges to the North, of course! Queensboro Bridge, connecting Manhattan and Long Island and passing over Roosevelt Island, is already well recognizable - the riders will actually even get a closer look of it.
First, however, they pass next to the UN Headquarters - this stretch is the only one that's significantly rising.
The already mentioned Queensboro Bridge then marks the point where the peloton heads back to Central Park. On the first lap, we still had only the three escapees mentioned before - let's just recall their names: Richardson, Redy and Nolf. A CT-only breakaway so far!
Once the riders reach the intersection of 59th Street and 5th Avenue, they turn right to start circling Central Park. To the left, they'd have ridden past St. Patrick's Cathedral - but now only the Directeurs Sportifs will be able to spot it in their rear mirrors.
By the way, we can see Healy accelerating - he didn't make it to the front group, just like many others who tried before him.
Right after the finish line, the riders get to see this buildling - which ought to be the Metropolitan Museum, or Met. It changed appearance quite a lot for this race, though.
First lap done, the three escapees only had a 47" advantage, and attacks were still happening in the peloton - to no avail, though.
The Harlem Meer marks the end of Central Park, and so the riders turn at Duke Ellington Circle to head back to the start line.
The last riders would still be able to see the Empire State Buildling (leftmost of the tall ones) behind them, if they were interested. From this perspective, we can also see that the final kilometer is slightly ascending, so timing the sprint right could be more crucial than elsewhere here!
On the second lap, we had the first intermediate sprint, as mentioned before just next to the Flat Iron Building. Redy is clearly the fastest of the group and easily takes those points and seconds, ahead of Nolf and Richardson.
Behind, Cole had attacked and took two points, and so the sprinters battled it out for one single final point - and pretty much everyone was there! Haller - who else - won this first big battle.
Sprint - Flat Iron Building #1
1.
Redy
10
-6"
2.
Nolf
6
-4"
3.
Richardson
4
-2"
4.
Cole
2
5.
Haller
1
None of these riders had any points before, and none are relevant in terms of GC - if there are no time gaps, of course!
By the time the escapees reached Queensboro Bridge for the second time, Cole had finally made contact - and the gap to the peloton reached its maximum extent of almost 3 minutes.
None of them is a clearly superior rider compared to the others, although the Podium Ambition duo are clearly the fastest sprinters. But could they make it to the line?
Lap #3, and here's yet another sight that was forgotten before - Washington Square Park with the Judson Memorial Church in the background.
80km left to ride for the breakaway of the day, 2'31" of advantage over the pack.
Intermediate sprint number 2 saw the exactly same order on the first 4 positions. Cole had to pay for his previous efforts and was distanced here - and soon caught by the pack. At least teammate Redy won the sprint again.
In the peloton, there even were a couple of leadouts - and all just for one tiny point left on offer!
It was almost a dead race for that one point, but in the end the officials awarded it to Nizzolo.
Sprint - Flat Iron Building #2
1.
Redy
10 (20)
-6"
2.
Nolf
6 (12)
-4"
3.
Richardson
4 (8)
-2"
4.
Cole
2 (4)
5.
Nizzolo
1 (1)
But now let's fast forward to about 40km to go, and let's find out who wins the first road stage of the 2022 Tour of America!
LIVE +++ LIVE +++ LIVE
One might think it's the UCI HQ here, but no, that's still the UN's home. It's the second-to-last time the riders are passing here - but the first time since the start lap that the breakaway is in the pack's sighting distance!
35km to go, and as you can see, Cole caught up with the others again after the sprint. 1'22" is their current advantage over a peloton led by Gallopin. Velasco, Destribois and Topchanyuk are the others frequently taking turns - clearly the sprinter teams won't give that stage away!?!
With 30km to go, the riders enter the final full lap! Mosca is leading the pack over the finish line - unlikely he'll do the same 30km later. But maybe Coutinho will?
The escapees are still holding onto a 1-minute lead, but they're losing their advantage second by second.
We saw the first attack of the race right next to The Lake and Bow Bridge - and some 100km later Redy attacks his companions at the exact same place! The reason for this desperate operation is clear - the pack is closing in quickly, so accelerating is the only way to go at this point!
He obviously didn't go far - the only thing he achieved was shaking off teammate Cole...
As the breakaway riders arrive at Madison Square Park and the Flat Iron Building, Redy, Nolf and Richardson are just 59" seconds clear of the pack with a bit more than 20km to go!
The 20km bow - right after the sprint point - marks the end of Cole's breakaway adventure. He joined the party late and left it early - not the best strategy I guess.
Magnusson and 2nd overall Groselj are pulling in the pack, which is trailing the escapees by just 48".
One final view from the distance of Queensboro Bridge, as we can see Nolf accelerating this time! The pack is still 42" back, 16.6km left!
But their lead is clearly dwindling, as one they have reached Queensboro Bridge, Stoltz can already see them just around the corner! 13km to go!
At least they enter the final lap ahead of the pack - 10 kilometers to go, which is one lap around Central Park! With the Empire State Building in the background, Redy looks to be the last man standing, as Eenkhoorn is already about to sweep up Nolf!
But soon after, even Redy's dreams go down the drain - or rather are sunk in Harlem Meer. Magnusson is leading the pack, as we can clearly see Assa Abloy and Philips putting some serious manpower into the pacemaking! Xandri, Squire and Eenkhoorn are next in the line, while Nerz is the first rider not from these two teams.
The riders are next to the Reservoir, which means 5km to go - the finish line being on the opposite side of the Park!
Haller already has his train nicely lined up, with Rumac and De Buyst ahead of him, while the other sprinters are just following the pacemakers right now.
Uh-oh, things have changed as the front of the pack arrives at Columbus Circle, as 9 riders are looking to break free! Up front we have Nerz, Stoltz, Rumac, De Buyst, Velasco, Haller, Van Asbroeck, Stash and Boivin, with Squire, Campenaerts and Eenkhoorn pretty much sitting up and opening the gap!
If this should really result in a gap, and if Nerz can stay up front, that could be a huge day for him already!
But by the time we reach the final turn of the stage - with 2km left - Nerz has dropped back - and those behind have closed the gap!
Only Kraftwerk have managed to build up a sprint train, with Rumac and De Buyst leading out Haller. Boivin, Velasco and Van Asbroeck are next, followed by Stash. Zariff is about to make the jump as well, with Bennett, Boudat and Berger in the next row.
However, many others are even further back and could already be out of it - Nizzolo, Krieger and Lutsyshyn should have the highest chances to still join those up front, but Feiereisen, Itami, Moschetti, Aniolkowski, Mareczko, Coutinho, Eislers and Kristoff might be too far back already!
And indeed, a group of 11 has managed to break free, and this gap should now be decisive with 1,500m to go!
Rumac is done with his leadout - but on the slightly ascending final stretch De Buyst now has to do a massive job to not release Haller too early!
Boivin still keeps the Austrian's wheel, while Van Asbroeck is getting his proper leadout by Velasco! Stash, Zariff, Berger, Boudat and Bennett have some ground to make up!
De Buyst is still up front under the red kite, with Haller and Boivin following closely! Velasco however is about to overtake the Kraftwerk train with Van Asbroeck on his wheel, who in turn is followed by Stash!
Zariff, Berger and Bennett have a small gap, while Boudat apparently hasn't been able to follow all those accelerations!
In the background, we can see Squire making a desperate attempt to bring the peloton back - but it doesn't look great for them to say the least.
With 800m left, Haller is about to leave De Buyst's slipstream, while Van Asbroeck is already sprinting! Boivin is currently 3rd of the sprinters, followed by Stash, Zariff, Berger, Bennett and Boudat - ignoring leadouts De Buyst and Velasco.
Haller is now in front with 500m to go, but Van Asbroeck is looking faster! Boivin is going strong, too, with Stash and Zariff right behind him!
Berger is on his own, while Bennett and Boudat can still benefit from Zariff's slipstream!
Oh, Haller has cracked badly! Van Asbroeck with a clear lead with just 300m to go, while Berger and Stash are fighting for 2nd! Boivin probably did too much too early as well and has dropped behind Zariff. Bennett and Boudat are looking for some space to pass on the wide side of the road!
Berger is slowing down as well, but Stash is closing in on Van Asbroeck! 200m to go, is there enough road left for the Russian to take the win?
Zariff is about to be overtaken by Bennett and has Boudat in his wheel, while Boivin and Haller are losing even more spots!
The riders from the pack have launched their sprint as well, but all they can hope for is to not lose any time today! Lutsyshyn, Krieger, Coutinho and Nizzolo are the first sprinters back there, followed by Feiereisen and Moschetti.
100m to the line, and it's still looking great for Van Asbroeck - who'd take the race lead even with a 2nd place behind Stash, who clearly hasn't thrown in the towel, though! Berger seems to have found a second wind and is still on track for 3rd place!
Stash is now clearly the faster of the two leading riders - but he might be running out of road! Can Van Asbroeck hold on?
Berger is still in 3rd place, but Boudat is the fastest man on the road and is looking to claim that final podium spot!
Tom Van Asbroeck wins! After yesterday's great 3rd place, he even goes two better today to claim the 2nd stage here in New York - and the GC and points leader jerseys as well! Congratulations!
Mamyr Stash gave him a great fight, though, and is rewarded by a nice 2nd place! 3rd goes to CT as well, as Thomas Boudat might have launched too late but was extremely fast on the final meters!
Hakon Frengstad Berger even makes it 3 in a row for CT, before Nur Aiman Zariff can break that streak in 5th place. 6th place goes to Sam Bennett.
Marco Haller just edges out Guillaume Boivin - yet another CT sprinter - for 7th. Clearly not the result he was looking for - but his team probably just went too early, and as we all know it's incredibly tricky to time a leadout right. They definitely failed today - but the others will thank them, as they drastically reduced the competition for the top spots by their high pace!
Jasper De Buyst and Simone Velasco round off the Top 10, before Nizzolo wins the sprint of the pack. Next is Rumac - not visible here, he's at the left hand rail - ahead of Krieger, Lutsyshyn and Coutinho.
Lots of disappointed sprinters today - most of them just weren't attentive enough when it mattered!
Tom Van Asbroeck definitely was attentive - and furthermore got a great leadout by Velasco! Although Mamyr Stash got really close in the end, the Belgian timed his effort just well enough to hold onto the win, congratulations!
3rd place goes to Thomas Boudat, who went all the way from last position (in the front group) to the podium - good job despite a subpar timing!
Tom Van Asbroeck is also our new GC leader, turning a 4" deficit into a 16" advantage over Aleksandr Pluchkin! Matic Groselj also drops one spot and is now 3rd, 17" back.
And as all good things come in threes, Tom Van Asbroeck also takes over the points lead! And he does so with a solid margin, thanks to his 3rd place yesterday, as Mamyr Stash is already 36 points off the Belgian's 66 points! Aleksandr Pluchkin drops down to 3rd with 25 points.
Given that we'll have hilly stages with only 30 points available for the winner in the next couple of days, this jersey might stay with Van Asbroeck for some stages now.
After they were leading almost every classification after the prologue, the only appearance of Team Popo4Ever on the podium today is for Martin Papanov's U25 lead. There weren't any notable changes today, so he still leads 1" ahead of Pascal Eenkhoorn and 4" over Nathan Alexander.
With no time gaps today (except for Cole who finished behind the peloton), the Team Standings are identical to yesterday's, meaning Philips - Force India keep their 7" lead over Team Popo4Ever. Xero Racing are 3rd, 9" down.
And that's all from today's first road stage of the 2022 Tour of America! We'll have the first hilly stage tomorrow - including the first KoM points and therefore a first KoM jersey wearer after the stage - and the profile could allow several different scenarios. From a full bunch sprint to a sprint of a reduced group, a breakaway win or a late attacker taking it all - let's find out tomorrow! I hope you'll be back - see you!
Tour of America 
