2022 Giro d’Italia: Stage 2 Results

Simon Yates came with an unexpected time trial victory for Stage 2 of the 2022 Giro d’Italia in front of the Royal Palace of Budapest as he rode three seconds faster than race leader Mathieu van der Poel, and five seconds faster than hot favorite Tom Dumoulin. Yates’ team-mate and Matteo Sobrero moved into the Maglia Bianca, thanks to his fourth best time on the finishing line. Van der Poel retained the Maglia Rosa with an advantage of eleven seconds over Yates.

Speaking in the press conference, Yates said: “I’ve done some good TT and bad ones before. That’s the best one for sure. We’ve worked very hard on our equipment and my position. It’s Marco Pinotti’s task and I’m really happy for him because he puts a lot in. I’m not surprised that Mathieu van der Poel was very quick. I’m surprised that I was in front of him, especially with the form he showed yesterday. I’m ecstatic that I gained time today but I wouldn’t look too much in today’s time differences personally. It will be a very different race from now on. I was surprised today that so many Hungarians enjoy cycling. It’s good to see!”

The Maglia Rosa, Mathieu Van der Poel said: “I rode for keeping the Maglia Rosa. That was the big goal. But to be this close to the victory is more than I expected. It’s a discipline I don’t really spend time on but today’s course suited me. I saw a lot of fans yesterday and today again. I was surprised by how beautiful it is here. I’m happy that I can wear the Maglia Rosa in a normal stage. Tomorrow I will do the lead out for our sprinter Jakub Mareczko. Normally it should be possible for me to keep the Maglia Rosa until the Etna but I think I will lose it [there].”

The new Maglia Bianca, Matteo Sobrero said: “I’ve worked really hard for this TT with the team, especially during the winter to prepare everything. I’m happy with our results. It’s a bit of a surprise that Simon [Yates] won. I already did a good time trial at the end of the Giro last year. Today’s course suited my characteristics even more. I don’t know if I’ll defend the Maglia Bianca. We’ll see on Mount Etna. The team’s plan is to stay with Simon and protect him.”

2022 Giro d’Italia: Stage 2 Brief Results

1. Simon Yates (Team BikeExchange-Jayco) – 9.2 km in 11’50″, average speed 46.648 km/h
2. Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) at 3”
3. Tom Dumoulin (Jumbo-Visma) at 5″

General Classification After Stage 2:

1. Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix)
2. Simon Yates (Team BikeExchange-Jayco) at 11″
3. Tom Dumoulin (Jumbo-Visma) at 16″

Classifications:

• Maglia Rosa, leader of the General Classification, sponsored by Enel – Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix)
• Maglia Ciclamino, leader of the Points Classification, dedicated to ‘Made in Italy’ – Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) – worn by Biniam Girmay (Intermarchè-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux)
• Maglia Azzurra, leader of the Gran Premio della Montagna (KOM), sponsored by Banca Mediolanum – Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) – worn by Rick Zabel (Israel-Premier Tech)
• Maglia Bianca, Best Young Rider, sponsored by Intimissimi Uomo – Matteo Sobrero (Team BikeExchange-Jayco)

Tomorrow’s Stage: KAPOSVÁR-BALATONFÜRED, 201 KM

Stage 3 runs around Lake Balaton, the Hungarian sea. At first, the route approaches the lake on mildly undulating roads. After Nagykanizsa, the route heads towards the Balaton, rolling all the way to the shore. Skirting along the lakeshore for the final 50 km, the route takes in one final short climb by the Tihany Abbey. The stage finale is mostly straight, with just a few mild bends.

Final kilometres
The final kilometers are virtually flat. Past the Tihany Peninsula, the route follows the coast, taking a short climb (with a few meters’ drop) in the last kilometer. The final 500 meters rise almost imperceptibly, all the way to the home straight.