It was another #hothot day on Stage 2 of Vuelta 2021 and one of the very few flat stages in any Vuelta ever. Yet, the final 5km to the sprint finish was messier than a messy thing from Messy Town. In the end, Alpecin-Fenix’s Jasper Philipsen, just pipping DQS’s Fabio Jakobsen and BEXer Michael Matthews. Primoz Roglic didn’t get caught in the crash at 4km out and stays intact and in red.
The #unpretty sprint
Not only was it #unpretty, watching it back on this clip, it feels like the longest sprint in the history of the world. But Alpecin-Fenix did all the right things for Jasper Philipsen to take his second career Vuelta stage win.
Philipsen sprint meteen naar winst in de 2e rit van de Vuelta #LaVuelta21 pic.twitter.com/du2JydzNT7
— Sporza 🚴 (@sporza_koers) August 15, 2021
🏁 @JasperPhilipsen does it!!! 🔥@lavuelta | @AlpecinCycling | @a_arpa pic.twitter.com/yXAVdr6ucu
— Alpecin-Fenix Cycling Team (@AlpecinFenix) August 15, 2021
Alpecin-Fenix might not be a World Tour team but they don’t let that stop them. They have won the first sprints of each of this year’s grand tours. Tim Merlier took Giro Stage 2 and TdF Stage 3.
Other sprintastic news
Second in the sprint today was Fabio Jakobsen. That he can come back from last year’s hideous crash and go full gas in a chaotic sprint is mind-boggling, really. Here’s hoping he gets his win this week.
So close for @FabioJakobsen today at #LaVuelta21, but so happy for him. Back in a Grand Tour and already on the podium despite being boxed in in this chaotic finale. pic.twitter.com/qM0aVPEBeI
— Deceuninck-QuickStep (@deceuninck_qst) August 15, 2021
Groupama-FDJ did a lot of work on the front of the peloton for much of the #hothot stage but when it came to the finish, they seemed to melt away.
Ahem. What’s that expression about pride?
Démare: “Every time it will be a sprint, I will be a favourite” https://t.co/H8uHl2QuB6 #LaVuelta21
— Radio Vuelta EN 🇬🇧 (@radiotour_en) August 15, 2021
Heading into the red
Primoz Roglic keeps the red jersey, after avoiding the crash at 4km.
Day no* 43 in a Grand Tour leader's jersey for Primož Roglič today.
A sizeable tally indeed, but nowhere near the record holder Eddy Merckx. Follow the link below to find out how many days 'The Cannibal' spent in yellow, pink and gold 👇#LaVuelta21https://t.co/wNnQgBZC7W
— Will Newton (@InsidePeloton96) August 15, 2021
This is the monster of a stage 3 … with a summit finish that goes on and on at 8%, 9%, 10% …
Predictions:
🗣️ @Maggy_PR: Primoz Roglic 🇸🇮
🗣️ @BriSmithy: Mikel Landa 🇪🇸The Breakaway have had their say on who will win stage 3️⃣ of @lavuelta – but who are you tipping to cross the line first?#LaVuelta21 | @SportsOrla pic.twitter.com/QSoyjp2bPA
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) August 15, 2021
The final word
Reporter: "What do you know about tomorrow's mountain top finish?"
Primoz Roglic: "Nothing."
Fair enough. #LaVuelta21
— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) August 15, 2021
All the results
Stage results
1 Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) 3:58:57
2 Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-QuickStep) same time
3 Michael Matthews (Team BikeExchange) s/t
4 Juan Molano (UAE Team Emirates) s/t
5 Alex Aranburu (Astana-Premier Tech) s/t
GC Top 10
1 Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 4:07:29
2 Alex Aranburu (Astana-Premier Tech) +0:04
3 Michael Matthews (Team BikeExchange) +0:10
4 Josef Cerny (Deceuninck-QuickStep) same time
5 Dylan van Baarle (Ineos Grenadiers) +0:11
6 Andrea Bagioli (Deceuninck-QuickStep) +0:12
7 Alexandr Vlasov (Astana-Premier Tech) +0:14
8 Jan Polanc (UAE) +0:15
9 Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma) +0:15
10 Chad Haga (DSM) +0:17
All the jerseys
🇪🇸 #LaVuelta21
Jerseys after Stage 2❤️🏆 Primož Roglič 🇸🇮
💚💨 Jasper Philipsen 🇧🇪
💙⛰️ Sepp Kuss 🇺🇸
🤍👶 Andrea Bagioli 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/Kly8dvZtuT— pro cycling trumps (@procycletrumps) August 15, 2021
Leader’s jersey : Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma)
Points jersey : Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix)
King of the Mountains: Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma)
Best young rider : Andrea Bagioli
Best team : Jumbo-Visma
For full race results, go to CyclingNews.com