Second racing day in Israel

Carlos Betancur remains 11th overall after getting unscathed through first road stage. Dennis (BMC) sprints to bonus seconds and Maglia Rosa; Viviani (QST) wins in Tel Aviv.

The Movistar Team experienced no major difficulties during the first road stage of the 2018 Giro d’Italia, 167km along the Israeli coast from Haifa to Tel Aviv. The Telefónica-backed squad went safely through a day where BMC picked up the pace halfway through the course to catch the early, three-man breakaway and put Rohan Dennis in pink, the Aussie taking 3″ at the day’s main Traguardo Volante to get ahead of former leader Tom Dumoulin (SUN).

Elia Viviani (QST) convincingly won the inevitable bunch sprint as Carlos Betancur had no troubles to keep his 11th place overall, 29″ behind Dennis. Sunday will bring the Giro’s ‘Grande Partenza’ in Israel to its end with a very long (229km) stage three to the Red Sea in Eilat, again finishing on flat roads.

Picture (c): BettiniPhoto.net