Chris Froome showed his strength to light up the finale to stage two at the Tour de France and move up to fifth place overall.
Nibali edges into two-second lead
Chris Froome showed his strength to light up the finale to stage two at the Tour de France and move up to fifth place overall.
The Team Sky rider measured his efforts brilliantly during a thrilling finale in Sheffield, finishing in an elite chase group two seconds behind the stage winner Vincenzo Nibali.
The Italian champion stole clear in the final kilometre but Froome kept the situation in check, driving along the group before melting back into the pack which crossed the line just two seconds behind the Astana rider. The consistent finish saw Team Sky extend their lead in the team classification to 12 seconds.
Multiple attacks fired on the run for home with Froome receiving support from Geraint Thomas, Mikel Nieve and Richie Porte deep into the 201km test to ensure he sits in a strong position after two days of racing.
Porte came through a difficult moment with 65km to go after a crash necessitated a bike change and a chase back to the peloton in the crucial lead up to Holme Moss.
Team Sky set the tempo up the famous climb with Vasil Kiryienka and Thomas to the fore while Porte made his way back on behind thanks to help from Danny Pate and Bernhard Eisel.
Uphill and down dale
"It was a really difficult day," said Froome after the stage. "It was undulating all day and a big fight for position. The crowds out there were incredible. Going up Holme Moss I had goosebumps all over. The support we’ve had from Yorkshire has just been out of this world.
"You could see in the final a lot of the contenders were making moves. For me it was about staying out of trouble and avoiding any major splits or issues. It’s a small margin but the win puts Nibali into the yellow jersey. It should be an exciting week of racing to come."
Thomas also admitted it had been a tough stage but was happy with the result after the opening weekend.
"Once we turned right off the main road with about 35km to go it was really steep - up and down," he explained. "You definitely feel it in the legs. Garmin really put the hammer down and there were only around 20 riders left. Once it eased up we took a bit of control to keep Froomey and Richie out of trouble. It worked out well in the end.
"It was great racing. Those roads are really good and Jenkin Road at the end made it really interesting. For sure (the main contenders) all tested each other out. Everybody wanted to be at the front and then once one person makes a move everybody follows.
"We’re riding well as a team and as a unit. I think we can be happy with how these first few stages have gone."
Testing day out
The second stage of the race proved to be a gruelling affair with no less than nine categorised climbs and a saw-tooth profile on the run into the Steel City.
For the second day in succession massive crowds greeted the riders along the route and it was a sizeable group of seven riders which went away as the race departed York Racecourse on Sunday morning.
The climb of Holme Moss saw the end of Marcel Kittel’s tenure in yellow as the overnight leader (Giant-Shimano) slipped back on the steep gradient.
The final escapee Blel Kadri (Ag2r-La Mondiale) was finally swept up with 36km on the Cote de Midhopestones. The same climb saw the pace increase in the peloton and for a brief moment the front group whittled down to roughly 25 riders.
That number swelled on the run into Sheffield but the fearsome Jenkin Road saw the peloton split and a combination of stage hunters and GC contenders come to the fore. Nibali claimed the win with an opportunistic attack while Greg van Avermaet (BMC Racing) and Michal Kwiatkowski (Omega Pharma – Quick-Step) rounded out the podium.
