German champion reverses 2010 result, beating World champion Giorgia Bronzini in close sprint
Ina Teutenberg (HTC-Highroad) won the second stage of the Giro della Toscana between Porcari and Altopascio in a close bunch sprint. The German champion managed to reverse the 2010 result on the same course, beating World champion Giorgia Bronzini (Colavita-Forno d’Asolo) – who defeated her in a photo finish the previous year – into second place on the slightly uphill finishing straight. The two rivals finished well clear of Ukrainian Alona Andruk (Diadora-Pasta Zara), who sprinted into third at the end of the 117.1km stage.
With a mostly flat parcours, there were few opportunities for breakaway riders to escape, especially with the HTC-Highroad team – whose victory in the previous days team time trial had put Judith Arndt into the pink jersey – controlling the peloton.
"One girl got ahead at the beginning and held a break with a max of two and a half minutes,” Teutenberg explained. “We pulled her in at about forty kilometres.
"After the break was caught the peloton stayed together pretty much until the end,” the German champion explained, “and we decided to stay out front and make it a hard race. The girls did a great job controlling and setting me up for the finish. I was out front for the last corner, and after I came out of it I took off with about two hundred meters to go."
The first rider to attempt a breakaway was actually Teutenberg’s HTC-Highroad teammate Amanda Miller, who jumped away after 31km. The American was only able to get a few seconds clear though, and was soon pulled back, only for her team to take control of the peloton from there on.
There was a brief flurry of activity at the first intermediate sprint of the day, oin Orentano after 42.7km, where Valentina Scandolara (Gauss-RDZ-Ormu) took the points ahead of Megan Guarnier (United States) and Romy Kasper (Kuota Speed Kueens). The three riders, along with former World champion Marta Bastianelli (MCipollini-Giambenini) were briefly ahead, but their break was soon quashed by HTC Highroad.
After 53km though, just after the start of the feedzone, as the race headed towards Altopascio and the six 9.6km finishing circuits, Katazyna Sosna (Vaiano-Solaristech) managed to get away alone. The Lithuanian was allowed to open up a lead of 2’45”, but was gradually reeled by HTC-Highroad and eventually caught just before the end of lap four, where Kasper took the maximum points at the intermediate sprint.
Into the final lap, Silvia Valsecchi (Top Girls-Fassa Bortolo) tried to get away, but was only allowed a handful of seconds before being pulled back. A small group of riders tried to jump clear in the final few kilometres, but the peloton was all together into the final kilometre, setting up the Altopascio rematch between the German and World champions.
Ten bonus seconds on the line mean that Teutenberg takes over the race lead from Arndt, but will find it tough to defend on the following day, which finishes at the top of the steep climb to the idyllic hilltop town of Volterra.
Result stage 2
1. Ina Teutenberg (Ger) HTC-Highroad
2. Giorgia Bronzini (Ita) Colavita-Forno d’Asolo
3. Alona Andruk (Ukr) Diadora-Pasta Zara
4. Belinda Goss (Aus) Australian National Team
5. Julia Martisova (Rus) Gauss-RDZ-Ormu
6. Rasa Leleivyte (Ltu) Vaiano Solaristech
7. Marta Tagliaferro (Ita) MCipollini-Giambenini
8. Lucy Martin (GBr) Garmin-Cervélo
9. Romy Kasper (Ger) Kuota Speed Kueens
10. Simona Frapporti (Ita) Top Girls-Fasso Bortolo
Standings after stage 2
1. Ina Teutenberg (Ger) HTC-Highroad
2. Judith Arndt (Ger) HTC-Highroad @ 10s
3. Chloe Hosking (Aus) HTC-Highroad