Dutch sprinter takes second win for Blanco Pro Cycling after third place in stage one
Theo Bos (Blanco) took a second straight stage win for his team in the 2013 Volta ao Algarve as he sprinted to victory in the second stage, which started and finishing in Lagoa, on the southern Portuguese coast. The Dutch former track World champion was fastest at the end of the 195km, beating Italian Giacomo Nizzolo (RadioShack-Leopard) for the second straight day, with Portuguese Bruno Sancho (Carmin-Tavira) third.
The sprint only came, however, after a long chase for the peloton as it brought back a ten-man group that had built an eight-minute lead of the peloton mid-stage.
“It’s really another collective victory because my teammates did a great job setting up the lead-out train,” said Bos afterwards. The last kilometre was really difficult with some uphill in the beginning, a bit of downhill, but the last 100 metres again uphill. Tom Leezer dropped me off at 300 meters from the finish line.
“I choose the wheel of [Mark] Cavendish [Omega Pharma-Quick Step] but he seemed to have problems with his chain. Our team controlled the race in the beginning, which was good for me surviving the two climbs. I am really satisfied with this victory, this is my fifth race in the early season.”
A ten-second time bonus on the finish line for Bos meant that the Dutchman moved ahead of Blanco teammate and stage one winner, Paul Martens, and took over the leader’s yellow jersey.
After a frenetic start to the stage, where several escapes were attempted but none were successful, the ten-man group finally got away after 27km. In the group were: Dmitry Kozontchuk (Katusha), Sep Vanmarcke (Blanco), Ricardo Garcia (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Manuele Boaro (Saxo-Tinkoff), Bertjan Lindeman (Vacansoleil-DCM), Omar Fraile (Caja Rural), Dalivier Ospina (Colombia), Tomás Metcalfe (Carmim-Tavira), Hugo Sabido (LA Alumínios-Antarte) and Alejandro Marque (OFM-Quinta da Lixa).
Having made it clear, the breakaway was allowed its freedom by the peloton, and was eight minutes clear as it crossed the summit of the climb to Fóia after 81km.
At this point the Omega Pharma-Quick Step team took control of the front of the peloton and began to pull back the ten fugitives. On the rolling course on the return to Lagoa Fraile, Ospina, Metcalfe and Sabido dropped out of the break, leaving just six men in the lead.
With 20km to go the remaining six-man group still had 1’29” on the chasing pack, but this was cut to little more than 30 seconds by the time it entered the final eight kilometres. The break was now down to just Vanmarcke, Boaro and Marque as the others dropped off and, despite their resistance, they were caught with just four kilometres of the stage left.
Having been able to sit in the wheels with Vanmarcke up the road, the Blanco team was fresh enough to deliver Bos to the line to take its second victory in as many days.
Result stage 2
1. Theo Bos (Ned) Blanco Pro Cycling
2. Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) RadioShack-Leopard
3. Bruno Sancho (Por) Carmin-Tavira
4. Jesus Herrada (Spa) Movistar
5. Kris Boeckmans (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM
6. Tom Leezer (Ned) Blanco Pro Cycling
7. Alessandro Bazzana (Ita) UnitedHealthcare Procycling
8. Pieter Vanspeybroeck (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise
9. Edwin Ávila (Col) Colombia
10. Michael Mørkøv (Den) Team Saxo Tinkoff
Standings after stage 2
1. Theo Bos (Ned) Blanco Pro Cycling
2. Paul Martens (Ger) Blanco Pro Cycling @ 4s
3. Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) RadioShack-Leopard @ 8s
4. Tiago Machado (Por) RadioShack-Leopard
5. Hugo Sabido (Por) LA Alumínios-Antarte @ 9s
6. Eduard Vorganov (Rus) Katusha Team
7. Bruno Sancho (Por) Carmin-Tavira @ 10s
8. Amets Txurruka (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi @ 11s
9. Sergio Paulinho (Por) Team Saxo-Tinkoff @ 12s
10. Bertjan Lindeman (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM