Nervous, hot day two in Galicia

Vuelta a España (st. 2) / Cyclassics

Movistar Team remains calm and unscathed at first road stage in La Vuelta; Rojas (2nd), Valverde (3rd), Quintana (7th) all stay in the same time of new leader Kwiatkowski (SKY)

"It was a bit tough, with hot temperatures and some nerves floating around there, but we got through the day well." That was a short, on-point summary by Nairo Quintana on the rigueurs of stage two in the Vuelta a España -160.5km from Ourense to Baiona-, which the late move by Gilbert (BMC) and the crashes by Lagutin (KAT) and Anderson (DEN) into the last 2k got into rampage. The peloton instead remained composed, with all GC leaders unscathed and a bunch sprint rewarding Etixx-Quick Step's Gianni Meersman.

Rory Sutherland, Imanol Erviti and José Joaquín Rojas -who even got himself into the fight for the sprint, 12th over the line- were the best help for Alejandro Valverde y Nairo Quintana. With Rojas now 2nd behind new GC leader Kwiatkowski (SKY), 4th at the finish, 'Bala' (3rd) and the Colombian (7th) remain with the same time of the red jersey.

The Movistar Team leaders will both attack the overall leadership at tomorrow's hellish finish up the Mirador de Ézaro (Cat-3), following another 176km trek full of lumpy roads from Marín, over the categorized climbs of Lestaio (Cat-3) and Paxareiras (Cat-2) plus other difficult slopes across the route.

Cyclassics Hamburg: Sütterlin 22nd in rainy, dangerous race

It wasn’t, in turn, that luck entirely feasible for the Movistar Team as the Blues couldn’t avoid all troubles into the 21st EuroEyes Cyclassics in Hamburg (UCI WorldTour, 217.1km). Juanjo Lobato was involved into one of the crashes affecting the bunch in the final loop around the Waseberg, and was left with no chance to take on the final sprint.

Some minor bruises in his right knee and leg were the only serious medical report for Lobato, unable to hobnob within the top sprinters of a race where Nacer Bouhanni (COF) crossed the line first, yet got relegated due to irregular tactics at the finish. Caleb Ewan (OBE) won outright as Jasha Sütterlin -always riding at the front, together with a committed Fran Ventoso- finished Blues’ best in 22nd spot.

Results: Vuelta a España | Cyclassics Hamburg