Welcome back to the Tour of America! Today's second longest stage of the race starts at the foot of yesterday's final climb, Revelstoke. It's a dream stage for the puncheurs - at least that's what it looks like. We'll see a lot of climbing, though, so the pure hilly riders may not be that enthusiastic.
We already briefly talked about Revelstoke yesterday. Nowadays home to roughly 8,000 people, the place initially was a storage area for fur traders. Originally named Farwell, the location was renamed to Revelstoke once the Canadian Pacific Railway, partly funded by Lord Revelstoke, was built. Mining became an important early industry, while nowadays forestry and tourism are predominant.
But we'll soon leave the grizzly and black bears behind, as well as Revelstoke Dam and Columbia River, to head south-west. We'll have an another early intermediate sprint today, on the banks of Three Valley Lake, after 21km. The Kingfisher Creek climb - 2nd category KoM after 45km - will be an early test for the legs, before we'll get the probably calmest phase of the stage until we reach the second sprint point in Enderby (105km).
However, during the second half of the stage, there's close to no respite - with 7 more KoM sprints (including the one at the finish line) left: Canyon Road Farms (4th, 109km), Goose Lake Road (3rd, 138km), Ellison Ridge (4th, 153km), Lake Country (4th, 174km) and Cedar Grove (4th, 182km) are just the warm-up, before the ascent to Sparkling Hill Resort (2nd, 189km) - the steepest climb of the day - will definitely separate the wheat from the chaff!
Only those with really good legs should survive this climb, then tackle the last descent and the short final ascent back up to Ellison Ridge! Yes, I know the stage profile names Kelowna as our finish location, but that city is quite a bit further south. With it being tomorrow's start venue, though, let's still lose some words about the place.
Settled in 1859 by missionaries, it eventually became the largest city on the shores of Okanagan Lake, and number 8 in British Columbia. While agriculture was important early on, it was the extension of the Canadian Pacific Railway to Kelowna that greatly accelerated the city's growth. Nowadays, tourism is the most important sector, with boating, golf, hiking and biking being popular summer activities. Thanks to the Big White and Silver Star ski resorts, the place is very popular in winter, too.
Kelowna is also renowned for vines, as the south of the city is ideal for wineries. Which nowadays can be easily distributed to the entire world, thanks to the International Airport.
Today and tomorrow, though, it's all about cycling in the area. Let's hope that many locals find the way out to Ellison Ridge to cheer on the riders today - or to the Lake Country KoM sprint, which is the closest point of today's stage.
Getting back to the favorites, we were talking about puncheurs. The bookies think the same, even putting on top of their list one of the most one-dimensional puncheurs out there: Vogt. He's joined by Eriksson and Edmondson as today's *** favorites. Next are Watson, Betancourt and Moazemi, with Pernsteiner, Hugentobler, Kanepejs and Hoelgaard rounding off the list.
We shouldn't rule out the GC favorites either, though, as the rather long Sparkling Hill Resort climb could favour them. If the pace is really low, though, even some more punchy sprinters could make it - or early attackers, of course. Anything seems to be possible! We'll join the live action for the final 65km (including 6 climbs), but let's first see what happened earlier on:
What happened so far
It's another mostly sunny day here in North America! The riders were getting ready for more than 200km of rollercoaster roads - and some were clearly more eager to get the stage started than others!
A lot of action was going on right from the start - and by the time we reached Three Valley Lake and with it the first intermediate sprint, those five riders were up front:
Sprint - Three Valley Lake
1.
Schomber
10 (22)
-6"
2.
Betancourt
6 (64)
-4"
3.
Watson
4 (19)
-2"
4.
Reddish
2 (38)
5.
Van Aert
1 (31)
However, many more riders were on the move. Just after the intermediate sprint, we had three chase groups between the front and the pack:
Verhelst
Vanmarcke
Culey
Hecht
Eriksson
Bonnamour
Alexander
Lovik
Chevrier
Healy
Erdenesuren
Giulietti
And six more riders were trying their luck:
Tesfaye Heyi
Van Den Bossche
Gaze
Jallays
Balmer
Perez
The likes of Haller, Fenn, Gallopin, Kaloniatis or Lutsyshyn were setting a horrendous pace in the pack to reel them back in, but eventually had to relent.
And by the time they started Kingfisher Creek, all the breakaway groups had finally merged into one 23-rider group:
Gaze
Reddish
Erdenesuren
Watson
Betancourt
Giulietti
Chevrier
Balmer
Van Aert
Verhelst
Hecht
Jallays
Alexander
Perez
Schomber
Tesfaye Heyi
Culey
Bonnamour
Eriksson
Healy
Van Den Bossche
Lovik
Vanmarcke
With Betancourt, Watson and Eriksson, three of the pre-stage favorites were up front and would be the big favorites should the group make it to the finish line. Chevrier was the highest placed rider in the GC, 64th with + 5'51".
No rider had collected more than 7 KoM points so far, so with 51 at stake (and 53 being the leader's count), one of the riders with 2+ points basically had to win every single KoM sprint to take the jersey.
However, as the breakaway arrived at the top, Magnusson could already celebrate - he'd keep his KoM jersey for at least another day, as the first two spots went to riders without any points so far:
KoM - Kingfisher Creek (2nd)
1.
Lovik
10 (10)
2.
Bonnamour
8 (8)
3.
Betancourt
6 (10)
4.
Van Den Bossche
4 (4)
5.
Healy
2 (2)
Culey, Vanmarcke and Verhelst got dropped, the pack trailed by 5'38" already.
No fight for the points at the second sprint in Enderby. Still, they obviously were awarded:
Sprint - Enderby
1.
Perez
10 (10)
-6"
2.
Jallays
6 (9)
-4"
3.
Healy
4 (4)
-2"
4.
Eriksson
2 (24)
5.
Van Den Bossche
1 (1)
Verhelst had already been caught by the pack. Vanmarcke and Culey trailed by 2'07", the peloton by 3'13" - yes, they did indeed ride at a horrendous pace since the KoM sprint!
Right after the sprint came the next climb, and Lovik made it 2/2 so far.
KoM - Canyon Road Farms (4th)
1.
Lovik
5 (15)
2.
Healy
3 (5)
3.
Bonnamour
1 (9)
These 15 points made Lovik move up to 4th in the KoM standings, 5 points short of his teammate Moreno Hernandez.
The Haller-led peloton swept up Vanmarcke and Culey on this ascent and trailed by 3'06". And as the riders are already approaching the next KoM sprint, let's join the live action!
LIVE +++ LIVE +++ LIVE
The escapees have just arrived at the shores of Goose Lake, at the foot of the next climb. Which is a short yet pretty steep one.
The pack, from which a 25-rider group containing mostly sprinters has split off, is just 2'32" back.
Lovik completely messed up his positioning, going pointless this time. Instead, Bonnamour takes maximum points for the first time.
KoM - Goose Lake Road (3rd)
1.
Bonnamour
6 (15)
2.
Alexander
4 (4)
3.
Eriksson
2 (4)
Mosca is probably the most busy guy in this race, as he's once again leading the pack! They only trail the head of the race by 1'59" now!
And we can see that a group of 7 riders has been dropped from the front group, and is about 40" down:
Gaze
Jallays
Balmer
Giulietti
Van Aert
Erdenesuren
Schomber
Instead of regrouping, the first group splits up further, losing Perez as well on the first ascent of Ellison Ridge. The 7 stragglers almost made contact at one point, but now are a minute down already.
KoM - Ellison Ridge (4th)
1.
Tesfaye Heyi
5 (5)
2.
Lovik
3 (18)
3.
Bonnamour
1 (16)
The peloton arrives on top 2'03" later. The finish line actually is right on the other side of the KoM sprint, and the riders can now already reconnoitre the last couple of kilometers of the race - including the final uphill.
We also get a couple of splits in the pack - and most notably stage favorites Vogt and Hugentobler are gapped! GC-wise, Mannion, Ratiy and Gilanipoor should be definitely out of it now and can go for breakaways on the next stages.
By the way, Eislers is also gapped and won't get another surprise win on a hilly stage. Stronger puncheur Van Asbroeck is still in the pack, though!
30km to go, and the riders are still on the shores of Kalamalka Lake. The 12 riders up front have a 49" lead over the second group, which has swept up Perez in the meantime. The pack is 2'12" down.
With Hecht arriving atop the Lake Country climb first, another rider having zero points previously enters the KoM competition.
KoM - Lake Country (4th)
1.
Hecht
5 (5)
2.
Chevrier
3 (9)
3.
Lovik
1 (19)
29km left to ride, with the second group 1'15" and the pack another 58" down.
Group 2 is barely hanging on ahead of the peloton as they reach the hilltop. 93 riders remain in the pack that is led by Rumac. No other notable riders have been dropped so far.
The Cedar Grove KoM point is reached with a pretty impressive view on Okanagan Lake. Bonnamour is rather unimpressed though and pips Lovik to the line.
KoM - Cedar Grove (4th)
1.
Bonnamour
5 (21)
2.
Lovik
3 (22)
3.
Alexander
1 (5)
Lovik now ties McCormick for 2nd place in the virtual KoM standings. 15 points are still on the table - with the climb to Sparkling Hill being a real test for the legs!
Healy has just been dropped, while the 8 chasers are about to be caught by the pack.
Which is what happens right as they arrive atop Cedar Grove, with Sleen setting a horrendous pace in the pack! The gap to the leaders is down to 1'45", less than 20km to go for the front group!
As soon as the climb to Sparkling Hill Resort is on, the front group starts completely disintegrating! Hecht and Van Den Bossche were actually already dropped right after the previous KoM sprint, and Tesfaye Heyi's acceleration is too much for Alexander, Reddish, Chevrier and Lovik!
This is the current race situation with 18km to go:
Tesfaye Heyi
Watson
Eriksson
Betancourt
Bonnamour
+ 21"
Alexander
Reddish
+ 19" (+ 40")
Chevrier
Lovik
+ 28" (+ 1'08")
Van Den Bossche
+ 9" (+ 1'17")
Hecht
+ 32" (+ 1'49")
Peloton
94 riders
Up front, it's too much climbing for Betancourt and Watson who both had to let go - leaving just Tesfaye Heyi, Eriksson and Bonnamour ahead! Alexander and Reddish trail by 1'01", Chevrier and Lovik are 1'27" back.
And the peloton, led by Gallopin and Freuler, still trails by 1'53" - and there are just 3km left to the KoM sprint!
Lovik and Chevrier are caught - and just as the pack is about to reel in Alexander and Reddish as well, Hoelgaard decides it's time to spice up things a bit! And there's no instant reaction!
The Norwegian has already caught Betancourt and Watson, who have been dropping like stones! Pernsteiner is the only one currently following the Tryg rider's move - but Bennett now goes out of the saddle as well!
Up front, it's just one man standing - Tesfaye Heyi, who has left behind Eriksson and Bonnamour! 1.8km of climbing left for the Ethiopian - that probably won't be enough now that the race is on among the favorites!
However, Hoelgaard's move is finally neutralized by Bennett and Freuler, and as they catch up with Bonnamour and Eriksson, the pace drops again.
Still 1.4km of climbing left, with Tesfaye Heyi's advantage being 58" - that should now be sufficient to take the KoM sprint - but there are still 14km left after that!
By the way, Van Asbroeck has now also been dropped from the pack, no points for him as well. What will hurt Philips more though is that Barta, 4th in GC, dropped back to support his sprinter, thereby losing some strategic options for the team later on!
Entering the final kilometer of the Sparkling Hill climb, Tesfaye Heyi's advantage has settled around the 1-minute mark. He isn't looking too fresh anymore, though, but he'll be hoping to recover well on the downhill!
The Ethiopian takes an easy win on top of the hill, while Hoelgaard attacks again over the hilltop! Freuler doesn't let him go, though.
KoM - Sparkling Hill Resort (2nd)
1.
Tesfaye Heyi
10 (15)
2.
Hoelgaard
8 (8)
3.
Freuler
6 (6)
4.
Pernsteiner
4 (4)
5.
Bennett
2 (7)
The leader's gap is down to 45", and he still has a kilometer of flat roads to ride before the descent!
Betancourt and Watson have already been dropped from the pack and definitely won't be fighting for the stage win today. Lunke has again been distanced pretty early, too.
We're on the final 10 kilomters! Tesfaye Heyi lost quite a lot of his advantage on the flat before the downhill, as the gap is down to just 28"!
At the end of the downhill, the Rumac led peloton only trails by 20", and we still have 3km of flat roads and 2km of climbing to go!
We can also see that a group including Campero and Hibatullah - Sauber's current Top 20 riders - has lost touch!
About 1km left to the foot of the final ascent! Tesfaye Heyi is looking tired, and the peloton isn't relenting by any means! Freuler currently leads them, with a mix of puncheurs and GC riders getting into the first 10 positions!
Oh, Freuler actually wasn't preparing an attack by Faglum Karlsson, as might have been expected - instead it's Squire who tries a surprise attack!
Velasco is chasing with Choi in his wheel, but all the big names are there. Let's hope for some fireworks!
Behind, the Sauber group has made touch again - let's see if they've got enough left to stay with the pack on the final ascent!
Squire doesn't get a big gap, with Velasco controlling the situation. We also have a massive Kraftwerk presence, with Destribois, Ranaweera, Koch, Rumac and of course Moazemi. The Iranian would need to win the stage to dethrone Pluchkin, who's well positioned, too.
Pernsteiner, Hoelgaard, Aru, Carapaz, Bennett and Senni are ready to launch, too.
Under the red kite, it's again Hoelgaard who attacks! It's a long way to go, though! Choi, Ranaweera, Pluchkin, Bennett, Aru and Carapaz are in the first row behind him and are in prime position to get the win today!
700m left, and it's still the Norwegian up front! Bennett is up to 2nd, with Aru in 3rd. Choi, Ranaweera, Pluchkin, Fouche and Carapaz are next.
Xandri, Moazemi, Senni, Kipkemboi, Topchanyuk, Faglum Karlsson and Edmondson are in the 3rd row - those further behind are probably out of it.
500m to the line, and Hoelgaard holds onto his lead! Bennett isn't really able to overtake so far, while Choi is moving up! Xandri however is almost as strong as his leader, and is in the same row as Pluchkin, Ranaweera, Fouche and Aru!
But maybe Bennett was just playing games with Hoelgaard, as he's now about to draw level with 300m to go! And Kipkemboi is actually 3rd, narrowly ahead of Pluchkin, Moazemi, Choi and Aru!
200m to go, and Bennett still hasn't overtaken Hoelgaard, who's going really strong! However, there's an even faster Moazemi coming from behind, already in 3rd position - a stage win and he might get the yellow jersey back!
Kipkemboi is surprisingly strong as well, but Pluchkin, Choi and Pernsteiner haven't thrown in the towel yet, either!
But now Hoelgaard has to let Bennett pass, the Kiwi takes the lead just 100m from the line!
Kipkemboi and Moazemi are fighting for 3rd, with Pernsteiner battling it out against Pluchkin for 5th!
Moazemi now draws level with Bennett just a couple of meters from the finish line! And it could be a heartbreaking finish for Hoelgaard, as Pernsteiner and Kipkemboi are closing in really fast!
Zimmermann also shoots up out of nowhere, and is already past Choi and Pluchkin! The latter probably won't take any bonus seconds and so has to hope that Moazemi doesn't win the stage - or his yellow jersey is gone once again!
But he does it! Arvin Moazemi wins his 2nd stage in this 2022 Tour of America! He didn't have a great position heading onto the last kilometer, but he was simply the strongest! Congratulations!
George Bennett will be a tad disappointed to settle for 2nd today, but at least he's clearly shown now that he is here - and more chances will come in the next few days!
But who takes 3rd? Kipkemboi looks to be out of it, so it's between Hoelgaard and Pernsteiner!
Hermann Pernsteiner wins the CT battle for the final podium spot, Daniel Hoelgaard, probably the day's most active rider, has to settle for 4th.
His teammate Georg Zimmermann still makes this a good stage for Tryg, ending up 6th behind Salim Kipkemboi.
Aleksandr Pluchkin, Ki Ho Choi, Marcus Faglum Karlsson and Brendan Rhim round out today's Top 10.
But that final hill actually caused quite some casualties! First of all Kritskiy, meaning both of Gjensidige's GC riders lost some time today! But also Campero and Hibatullah are in this group, 54" behind the stage winner.
Hamilton, Bayly, Spilak and Barta - all in the Top 20 before the stage - were gapped even earlier on and lose quite some time today. With them not having a particular focus on the GC, they shouldn't care that much, though.
This man doesn't have his main focus on the GC, either - but rather on stage wins, and he got #2 today! Congratulations to Arvin Moazemi for a really strong performance, beating George Bennett to the line! Hermann Pernsteiner will also be very happy with his 3rd place today, well done!
Just like he did after his first stage win, Arvin Moazemi also takes the GC lead after his 2nd success! It's again just a narrow lead, as he's 7" ahead of Aleksandr Pluchkin - not much given tomorrow's tough mountain stage.
Sepp Kuss still holds onto his 3rd place, let's see where he can go!
No changes on top of the points standings, with none of the top sprinters getting any points today. Which means that Tom Van Asbroeck still leads with 160 points, 8 more than Ingus Eislers and 26 ahead of Lionel Coutinho.
Kim Magnusson will be pretty happy that no dominant KoM contender has emerged so far, and so he still holds onto his 31 points lead over Hayden McCormick. Asmund Romstad Lovik ties the Kiwi for 2nd.
However, tomorrow's stage has 64 points on offer - most of any stage in this race!
Pascal Eenkhoorn wasn't really challenged for the U25 lead today, and still leads 40" ahead of Georg Zimmermann. However, Jamal Hibatullah was inattentive today and now trails by 1'41".
And we get to see the Philips - Force India jersey one last time for today, as the Dutch outfit now leads the team standings! They're just 4" clear of Assa Abloy, though, with Kraftwerk Man Machine trailing by 40".
Yet another hilly stage has come to an end - and while we have another leader change today, it's a well-known rider who's back on top of the GC. However, Apex mountain will surely reshuffle things a bit tomorrow - stay tuned!
Tour of America 
