Vuelta a Castilla y León (st. 2)

Movistar Team duo take 4th, 5th at Palencia's sprint, with Lobato (EUS) victorious - GC into a handful of seconds before Sunday's closer in Cervera

It was an impressively fast stage -more than 46 kph average- on day two of the 28th Vuelta a Castilla y León, another flat route over 164 kilometers between Urueña and Palencia, with Spaniard Juanjo Lobato (EUS) grabbing the day’s honours as the Movistar Team riders kept their lead presence into the race. José Joaquín Rojas repeated Friday’s fourth place in Valladolid today, followed by Enrique Sanz in fifth and still at the fore for the Blues, who keep the lead in the teams’ overall as their two fast men stay in 4th and 6th place respectively.

The lack of a big mountain stage in the Castilian race leaves everything up for grabs tomorrow, with the bonus seconds to play a massive role on the showdown 183km from Aguilar de Campoo to the slopes of the Parador in Cervera de Pisuerga (Cat. 2; 2km / 7%). Before that, the race will tackle the climbs of Las Portillas (Cat. 3), Monteviejo (Cat. 3) and Pando (Cat. 2) halfway through the stage, as well as La Varga (Cat. 2) just 19k from the end. Lasca (CJR) is still in charge of the GC, with Sanz just eight seconds behind and Rojas now twelve back.