The record books will state that Dylan Groenewegen won stage 2 of the 2019 Paris-Nice in a reduced bunch sprint with the remnants of the main field finishing just a few seconds behind but that one fact does not do the race justice after another epic day of crosswinds and echelon racing that saw the action never let up for even a single moment of the 165km stage. By the time Groenewegen made his way to the podium to collect his second bouquet of the race and the yellow jersey, stragglers were still crossing the line in ones and twos, some of them with the jerseys ripped from a day that saw numerous crashes and several abandons, including Mark Cavendish, Louis Meintjes, Rigoberto Uran, Warren Barguil and last year's third-place finisher Gorka Izagirre. The race has yet to reach a time trial or an uphill finish yet has seen back-to-back stages full of drama and suspense. The only constant, Groenewegen's continued dominance of both sprints and the leader's jersey.ADVERTISEMENT The stage began with the announcement from the race from organisers ASO that the race from Les Bréviaires would be put back by ten minutes owing to a strong tailwind on the route. However, it was cross-wind sections that littered the parcours that would eventually prove the deciding factor. Several splits were forced in the opening 100km before a lead group of 18 eventually established a semblance of authority. By then, the likes of Cavendish and Barguil had already lost contact, while Groenewegen, a determined AG2R, Team Sky and FDJ had safety in numbers at the front of the race. Egan Bernal (Team Sky) who impressed during stage 1 when the winds picked up, was once more supported by Luke Rowe and former world champion Michal Kwiatkowski, while Wilco Kelderman, Romain Bardet, Bob Jungels, and Nairo Quintana represented the GC riders still on the fold.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com.readfullarticle
