Elia Viviani lifts Team Sky's spirits with Giro stage win
Italian sprinter thanks team after claiming his first ever Grand Tour win
Team Sky's Giro d'Italia appears back on track after yesterday's time trial flop thanks to Elia Viviani. The team's Italian sprinted to win the second stage in Genoa ahead of Moreno Hofland (LottoNL-Jumbo) and André Greipel (Lotto-Soudal).
Sky and its overall leader Richie Porte lost 20 seconds yesterday in the 17.6-kilometre team time trial to rival team Tinkoff-Saxo with Spaniard Alberto Contador in second place.
"It didn't go how we wanted to yesterday," Viviani said.
"We were all down last night because we expected something more out of the team time trial, but I don't think it was a bad ride. In the end, we were there with many other teams. It's OK as it is."
Rival teams Astana and Etixx placed third and fourth in the opening stage for leaders Fabio Aru and Rigoberto Urán, respectively. Sky placed ninth.
Contador leads the favourites by six seconds on Aru, 12 seconds on Urán and 20 seconds on Porte. The gaps stayed the same after stage two, but Viviani's sprint lifted the team's spirits at least.
>>> Experts back Alberto Contador for Giro d’Italia win
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Michael Matthews (Orica-GreenEdge), the new race leader, began early on the slight uphill run to Genoa’s centre. Greipel charged up the left side followed by Hofland, and Viviani jumped on their mini-express train as they passed.
Viviani not only gave Sky its first success in this year's Giro, but he gave himself his first Grand Tour win. He has at times been seen as a B-level sprinter with wins in the Tour of Beijing, Critérium du Dauphiné, and in several -.HC and -.1 ranked races around the world, but today he took a step onto the Grand Tour stage.
"I had freedom to do my work," Viviani said. "We helped Richie first, then Salvatore Puccio and Vasil Kiryienka led me out."
Sky signed the 26-year-old Italian from Verona over the winter from Italian team Cannondale/Liquigas.
"Sky helped me select my goals well and work for them well with precision," he added. "Also, they are helping me with my sprints and my endurance uphill."
Matthews started the day in the white jersey of young rider and exchanged it for the pink leader's jersey. The ride was almost a repeat of last year in Belfast. Orica won the opening time trial to put Svein Tuft in the leader’s jersey and Matthews, thanks to his placing, took over the leader's pink jersey. In Genoa, the jersey went from team-mate Simon Gerrans to Matthews after his seventh place.
"Two years in a row now in the pink jersey — it's a special day," Matthews said.
"I'd like to have won in the sprint, but I was at the front too early and it was a little unlucky. It's a perfect start for the team, we won the time trial yesterday, we got that goal, then today, in the pink jersey."
Matthews explained that he has a better chance to win in tomorrow's stage when the race finishes down the Ligurian coast in Sestri Levante.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Gregor Brown is an experienced cycling journalist, based in Florence, Italy. He has covered races all over the world for over a decade - following the Giro, Tour de France, and every major race since 2006. His love of cycling began with freestyle and BMX, before the 1998 Tour de France led him to a deep appreciation of the road racing season.
-
Five things to look out for ahead of the Tour of Flanders
Lidl-Trek's impressive form and Mathieu van der Poel's explosive start to the Classics season could make for quite the contest this weekend
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
A bikepacking trip is the perfect way to see the last viewable solar eclipse in the U.S. for 20 years - here's how
Following a 115-mile-wide path, the April 8, 2024 solar eclipse will last just under four-and-a-half minutes and can be viewed from multiple U.S. midwest and east coast bike routes
By Kristin Jenny Published
-
The art of peaking with Geraint Thomas: 'It’s easy to take for granted that 9 times out of 10 I hit my goals'
The Welshman also calls for better governance in the sport to help it grow further
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
-
Ineos Grenadiers’ 500th victory was claimed by a woman; why do they still not have a team?
The British squad is one of the richest in cycling - but Ineos still won’t stump up for a women’s team
By Adam Becket Published
-
'This is so much more than a number': Six of the best Ineos Grenadiers wins as team claims 500th race victory
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot took the 500th team win at the weekend
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Tom Pidcock 'wouldn’t be surprised' to see attacks before the Poggio at Milan-San Remo
British rider will lead the line for Ineos Grenadiers alongside Filippo Ganna
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Ineos Grenadiers delighted with Egan Bernal’s late cameo on stage one of Paris-Nice
Colombian snapped up key bonus seconds in the general classification battle on run in to Les Mureaux
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
‘It doesn’t change anything’ - Tom Pidcock’s coach on Tadej Pogačar at Strade Bianche
Kurt Bogaerts says the pressure is off for Pidcock as he looks to defend the title he emphatically won last year
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Ineos Grenadiers say they will work with British Cycling to get Tour of Britain back on ‘as quickly as possible’
Ben Swift and Owain Doull both say it would be a "shame" were the Tour of Britain to be no more
By Adam Becket Published
-
‘We're now the hunter, not the hunted’ - New Ineos Grenadiers CEO commits to reclaiming top spot amongst WorldTour elite
John Allert outlines team’s targets and ambitions for 2024, including regaining Grand Tour dominance of old
By Tom Thewlis Published