The German sprinter outclasses his rivals in the final bunch sprint

Nijmegen, 7 May 2016 – The German rider Marcel Kittel (Etixx – Quick Step) won the bunch sprint which decided Stage 2 of the 99th Giro d’Italia, 190km from Arnhem to Nijmegen. Arnaud Demare (FDJ) and Sacha Modolo (Lampre – Merida) finished second and third.

Dutch rider Tom Dumoulin (Team Giant – Alpecin) retained the race lead and kept the Maglia Rosa.

FINAL RESULT
1 – Marcel Kittel (Etixx – Quick Step) – 190km in 4h38’31”, average speed 40.931km/h
2 – Arnaud Demare (FDJ) s.t.
3 – Sacha Modolo (Lampre – Merida) s.t.

JERSEYS

Maglia Rosa (pink), General Classification leader, sponsored by Enel – Tom Dumoulin (Team Giant – Alpecin)
Maglia Rossa (red), Sprint Classification leader, sponsored by Algida – Marcel Kittel (Etixx – Quick Step)
Maglia Azzurra (blue), King of the Mountains leader, sponsored by Banca Mediolanum – Omar Fraile (Team Dimension Data)
Maglia Bianca (white), Young Rider Classification, sponsored by Eurospin – Tobias Ludvigsson (Team Giant – Alpecin)
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
1 – Tom Dumoulin (Team Giant – Alpecin)
2 – Primoz Roglic (Team Lotto NL – Jumbo) s.t.
3 – Marcel Kittel (Etixx – Quick Step) at 1″

Speaking seconds after the stage finish, the stage winner Marcel Kittel said: „Firstly I want to say chapeau to the people of the Netherlands for the great atmosphere on the road today. I’m super happy to win the first bunch sprint of the Giro. Yesterday, the time trial was a good sign of my form. Today my team did a very good job to bring me to the front. I had to get through a few gaps to reach the front of the group. It was a tricky finale and I’m very happy with how it went. Now I’m one second away from the pink jersey. Step by step, I’m getting there“.

Race leader Tom Dumoulin said: „The whole race was a party! There were crowds everywhere. I enjoyed the moment because my team helped me keep the pink jersey in a really good way. Now Marcel Kittel is close in GC but the party continues“.

Press conference interviews and further details to follow.

TOMORROW’S STAGE
Stage 3 – NIJMEGEN – ARNHEM – 190 km
This stage closely resembles the previous one: the route runs flat along the plains surrounding the start and finish cities, coming across minor climbs and mild descents, villages, roundabouts and speed bumps. Over the first 25km, the route winds its way on narrow roads twisting and turning along the banks of River Rhine. The route tackles the Posbank categorised climb, then a short and technical descent along the roads of the Hoge Weluve National Park leads into the final Arnhem circuit (14km), to be covered twice. In this stage again, wind is likely to be the major challenge.

Final kms
The final 14km circuit, to be covered twice, runs along wide, straight urban avenues, dotted with roundabouts. The route passes over the Nederrijn River twice, and then takes a short tunnel with approx 6km remaining to the finish. The home straight is 500m long, on a 7.5m wide asphalt road. The final kilometres are slightly curved, but with no real bends.

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PHOTO CREDIT: ANSA – PERI / DI MEO / ZENNARO