THIS WEEK IN PRO CYCLING
Stage 2: Brown wins in Mallorca, takes lead
This time the sprinters got it right.
A day after Philippe Gilbert (Francaise des Jeux) upset the peloton’s fastest men with a late-stage attack, the sprinters got it back on track Monday in the second stage at the Mallorca Challenge in Spain’s Balearic islands.
A heavily bearded Graeme Brown (Rabobank) won easily ahead of Denis Flahaut (Saunier Duval) and Gert Steegmans (QuickStep) in an eight-up sprint that saw the bunch splinter in the late going in the 162.7km rolling stage across eastern Mallorca from Cala Millor to Son Servera.
Gilbert was still in the mix, sprinting his best to try to conserve his lead, and took fourth in the mass gallop. Brown, second behind Gilbert in Sunday’s opener in Palma de Mallorca, inherits the leader’s jersey.
A day after just missing victory, Brown said his burly beard brought him luck this time.
“I felt strong throughout the day. I lacked just a little yesterday to win and I today I had to try again, even though the finish was pretty complicated because there was a climb and it was pretty hard,” said Brown, who was racing with a thick beard. “I made a bet with my teammates, and since I didn’t win yesterday, I decided to race again with the beard. Maybe I will shave it off later.”
A five-man breakaway peeled away early in the stage but were caught with about 15km to go as the sprinter teams collaborated to neutralize the dangerous move.
Monday’s stage also marked the second debut of defending Tour de France champion Alberto Contador. The 25-year-old was the center of attention to debut his new Astana jersey as fans and journalists crowded in to record the moment.
Contador will race again Wednesday and Thursday as he continues training on the Mediterranean island.
Beard or not, Brown will have a hard time defending his leader’s jersey in Tuesday’s hilly third stage from Pollenca to Puerto de Alcudía. The 168km route tackles the Cat. 2 Coll de Soller at about 90km and the Cat. 1 Coll de Puig Mayor at 880m before plunging down to the coast for the finale.
Weather should remain mild and there’s no forecast of rain despite the arrival of clouds and cooler temperatures Monday.
In Italy, Gabriele Balducci (Acqua e Sapone) won the first stage of the Tour de la Province de Reggio Calabria in southern Italy. He finished ahead of Maximiliano Richeze and Jury Metlushenko.
