Argentinean champion Daniel Diaz made steps today towards repeating his 2013 overall win in his country's biggest stage race, the Tour de San Luis. Diaz escaped on the climb to Mirador de Potrero in stage two, held on for the summit finish win and the overall lead.
Mark Cavendish lost the sprint in yesterday's opening stage to little-known Colombian Fernando Gaviria. Again today, one of the locals from South America won over cycling's top stars.
Rodolfo Andres Torres (Colombia) placed second at six seconds and Kleber Ramos (Funvic Brasilinvest) third at 24. Spain's Daniel Moreno (Katusha) placed fifth at 27 seconds, and defending champion and 2014 Giro d'Italia winner, Nairo Quintana (Movistar) placed seventh also at 27 seconds.
Diaz, 25 years old, is no surprise for Tour de San Luis followers. Two years ago, he won the overall by 33 seconds over Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing). Cycling's top Grand Tour star, Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) placed fourth at 1-02 minutes.
A five-man escape rode free for much of the 185.3 kilometres leading to the summit finish at 1270 metres. They faded just in time for the top climbers to battle on the 4.8-kilometre ascent. Movistar tried to control for Quintana, the group whittled down to around 10 riders, and Diaz and Torros attacked with over a kilometre to race.
Diaz, with the stage winner's time advantage, took the leader's jersey from Gaviria, but kept the lead among the local South Americans.
Tomorrow's undulating stage is one for an escape, but Thursday's summit finish to Alto El Amago, at 1710 metres, should further sort out the overall classification. The race finishes on Sunday in San Luis’s centre.
Results
Tour de San Luis 2015, stage two: La Punta to Mirador del Potrero, 185km
1. Daniel Diaz (Arg) Funvic Brasilinvest
2. Rodolfo Torres (Col) Colombia at 6 secs
3. Ramos Kleber (Bra) Funvic Brasilinvest at 24 secs
4. Eduardo Sepulveda (Arg) Bretagne-Seche Environnement at 27 secs
5. Daniel Moreno (Spa) Katusha at same time
Overall classification after stage two
1. Daniel Diaz (Arg) Funvic Brasilinvest
2. Rodolfo Torres (Col) Colombia at 6 secs
3. Ramos Kleber (Bra) Funvic Brasilinvest at 24 secs
4. Daniel Moreno (Spa) Katusha at same time at 27 secs
5. Eduardo Sepulveda (Arg) Bretagne-Seche Environnement at 27 secs
-
-
Best Black Friday cycling deals that will save you a fortune
Our ultimate guide on where and how make the most savings on the big discount deal day
By Hannah Bussey •
-
Inside Hell - Behind the scenes at Paris Roubaix Femmes
Cycling Weekly jumped in one of the Drops Le Col team cars to watch the glorious chaos of Paris Roubaix unfold
By Vern Pitt •
-
Mark Cavendish unsure on Tour de France 2022 route: 'There aren’t as many chances for the fast men'
The joint-record Tour de France stage winner would grab his 35th with victory in 2022, surpassing Eddy Merckx
By Ryan Dabbs •
-
Mark Cavendish spotted cycling in central London
Cavendish will race in the World Championships on Sunday 26 September, but needed to get some miles in his legs in London
By Ryan Dabbs •
-
Mark Cavendish: ‘The Tour de France is not a bike race, it’s a world sporting event’
The British sprinter shares his thoughts on the pressure of the Tour
By Alex Ballinger •
-
Mark Cavendish and Remco Evenepoel return to racing
Cavendish comes from winning the green jersey in the Tour de France, while Remco Evenepoel returns from the Olypmics
By Alex Ballinger •
-
Mark Cavendish joint favourite to win Sports Personality of the Year
The British sprinter made a historic comeback at the 2021 Tour de France
By Alex Ballinger •
-
Mark Cavendish beats Tim Merlier to sprint victory in post-Tour de France crit
The British sprinter was on the podium again in the lucrative exhibition race in Flanders
By Alex Ballinger •
-
Cycling world reacts to Mark Cavendish's 34th Tour de France stage win
The plaudits are coming in from current and old stars of the sport
By Chris Marshall-Bell •
-
‘You can clearly say Mark is the best sprinter there ever was,’ says Michael Mørkøv as Cavendish equals Tour de France record
Mørkøv guided his team-leader to his 34th Tour de France victory, as Cavendish matches Eddy Merckx’s records
By Alex Ballinger •
