Alessandro Petacchi won his first bunch sprint of the season when he took the second stage of the Giro Reggio Calabria on Sunday. Petacchi took the honors ahead of Spaniard Francisco Ventoso and Italian Mattia Gavazzi. Matteo Montaguti, who won the opening stage, defended his overall lead, four seconds ahead of Filippo Savini.
Petacchi was happy with his win, for which he had to fight hard. "The finale was quite active. There was a round-about, and then after another turn it was only 400m to go. There was another, smoother, turn to the left with 200m to go and the last part was slightly uphill," he said to La Gazzetta dello Sport. "[Teammate Danilo] Hondo and I went from far out, he on the right and I on the left. We found each other at 150m to go, he let me pass in front of him - the rest was my responsibility."
Petacchi and Hondo now ride for Lampre and the Italian is quite happy with his form, even beyond the sprints. "I knew I was going well. I knew it since yesterday, when I came to the top of the climb with the first few riders. Winning is great, it erases any doubts and increases the panache."
Third placed Gavazzi was quite amazed to finish on the podium. "A slaughterhouse. There were so many of certain guys in the front that I expected to find myself in the back. I had to do two sprints: The first just to stay in the front, the second to try to bridge up to Petacchi and Ventoso. I almost managed to get second. For being the first bunch sprint of the year, I didn't go too bad."
But there was no doubt about the winner. "Today we saw the strongest won," Gavazzi said. "I am still behind. But already Tuesday, in the stage into Reggio Calabria, I could change the result."
Race leader Montaguti was happy for the sprinters. "It was a quiet stage, besides the wind in the end. With the break away, the pace was set by Lampre for Petacchi and by De Rosa for me. Tomorrow will be another story."
The break of the day with four riders (Agosta, Gitto, Scarselli and Radotic) took off after three kilometers. The maximum advantage was six minutes, at km 48. Less than six kilometers from the finish, the break was caught.
There are two more stages left to race.
Results stage 2
1 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Lampre - Farnese Vini 3h55'52
2 Francisco José Ventoso Alberdi (Esp) Carmiooro NGC
3 Mattia Gavazzi (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox
4 Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Liquigas-Doimo
5 Jacopo Guarnieri (Ita) Liquigas-Doimo
6 Oscar Gatto (Ita) ISD - Neri
7 Danilo Hondo (Ger) Lampre - Farnese Vini
8 Francesco Ginanni (Ita) Androni Giocattoli
9 Enrico Rossi (Ita) Ceramica Flaminia
10 Andrea Piechele (Ita) Carmiooro NGC
Standings after stage 2
1 Matteo Montaguti (Ita) De Rosa - Stac Plastic 8h36'25
2 Filippo Savini (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox at 0'04
3 Francisco José Ventoso Alberdi (Esp) Carmiooro NGC at 0'25
4 Daniele Pietropolli (Ita) Lampre - Farnese Vini at 0'35
5 Daniel Oss (Ita) Liquigas-Doimo
6 Federico Canuti (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox
7 Cristiano Salerno (Ita) De Rosa - Stac Plastic at 0'38
8 Lorenzo Bernucci (Ita) Lampre - Farnese Vini
9 Aleksandr Kuschynski (Blr) Liquigas-Doimo
10 Francesco Failli (Ita) Acqua & Sapone