After first bridging to the day’s break on stage 2 of the Tour of California, Rafał Majka covered every attack as the race neared its close before taking his first stage win for BORA-hansgrohe, as well as the race’s coveted leader’s yellow jersey.
After a gentle opening stage, the second stage of the Tour of California threw riders in at the deep end as the mountainous terrain took centre stage. Tackling five categorised climbs over the 144.5km route, including the race’s first Hors Catégorie climb, the 8.7% Mount Hamilton, there would be little chance to rest after the road started pointing upwards. While the sprinters ruled yesterday’s stage, it would be the climbers and GC contenders who would fight it out for the top spot on the podium today, with an uphill finish deciding who would take the stage – and the GC with it.
It took some time for a group to build up the nerve to make the jump ahead and it wasn’t until almost 50 kilometres had passed before the attack came. Six riders – Toms Skujins (Cannondale-Drapac), Scott Thwaites (Dimension Data), Daniel Jaramillo (UnitedHealthcare), Danny Van Poppel (Team Sky), Chris Hamilton (Team Sunweb) (Dimension Data) and Tanner Putt (UnitedHealthcare) – made their way up the road before gradually piling on the time with their advantage quickly rising to four minutes.
Controlling the pace in the peloton, the BORA-hansgrohe riders were working to keep the break in check, as the Polish national champion, Rafał Majka, kept an eye on his rivals both up the road and in the peloton. The pace rising steadily in the peloton, the break struggled as the gradient took its toll.
As the gap reduced, Majka saw his chance, joining a small attack from the front of the peloton to try and bridge the gap and with 34km remaining, contact was made. The BORA-hansgrohe climber powered away shortly afterwards to take the points at the Quimby Road summit and a group of four formed which also included Ian Boswell (Team Sky), Lachlan Morton (Dimension Data) and George Bennett (LottoNL-Jumbo).
Holding their advantage on the short flat spot before the climb to the finish, there was every chance the stage winner – and the new GC leader – would be among Majka’s group of four. The attacks came with 1 kilometre remaining with Bennett making a valiant attempt as they closed in on the line. Majka responded and was able to edge past Bennett to take the stage and GC lead.
With the race’s yellow jersey on his shoulders, Majka summed up today’s ride. “I felt really strong today. We all worked together well and I knew we were in the right move because we were all strong guys. In the end I didn’t want to miss the sprint, so I went early, but was strong enough to stay in front. This is my first win for BORA-hansgrohe, which is really special to me, and I dedicate it to my daughter, who was born three months ago. Thanks also to my team mates – we have a great spirit and always work together well.”
Directeur Sportif, Patxi Vila, was impressed with the Polish national champion’s ride today. “We actually wanted to go for Peter today. We controlled the pace, but as expected, some teams tried something on the Hors Catégorie climb. When Peter was dropped, the attacks started and Rafa went with them. I told him not to take any risks in the downhill section, and then it was the crucial part when the break hit the flat with just 20 seconds over the peloton. They worked together really well though, and were really strong. In the end it was a perfect day for us with the win, as well as the GC lead.”
After a tough day in the mountains, a gentler stage awaits as the Tour of California hits its longest day. The 192.5km stage has only the one categorised climb, and coming well before the halfway point is unlikely to make a difference on the day’s outcome. With the rest of the day fairly flat, this could be a day for the sprinters to wrestle the attention back onto them.
