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Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 2: Pelucchi wins for IAM as big names miss out in sprint (+ Kittel bike throw video)Pelucchi wins Tirreno Stage 2 sprint (picture LaPresse)

Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 2: Pelucchi wins for IAM as big names miss out in sprint (+ Kittel bike throw video)

Mark Cavendish 17th, Marcel Kittel crashes (but says he made up with his bike afterwards), iafter Alex Dowsett spends day on the break
by Simon_MacMichael
Thu, Mar 13, 2014 15:25
4

Matteo Pelucchi of IAM Cycling sprung a shock on Stage 2 of Tirreno-Adriatico, winning a scrappy sprint in Cascina from FDJ.fr's Arnaud Demare, with Lotto Belisol's André Greipel third. Mark Cavendish of Omega Pharma-Quick Step couldn't find a way through the traffic and finished 17th, but keeps the overall lead. The other rider expected to challenge him and Greipel for the win, Marcel Kittel, crashed with 2.5km left.

Kittel, who last year became the first man to beat Cavendish in the Tour de France finale on the Champs-Elysées, showed his disgust by tossing his bike to the ground, shown in the following video.

Afterwards, Kittel (perhaps with a bit of nudging from the team's PR) tweeted "I'm VERY sorry for throwing my beloved Giant Propel on the ground. I still love it! We're just having an intense relationship. #deepemotions"

)

Demare seemed to have the better of his rivals in the sprint, but the 25-year-old Pelucchi timed his sprint perfectly to come past the Frenchman and secure the Swiss UCI Professional Continental team's maiden victory in a WorldTour race.

Behind third-placed Greipel in fourth spot was NetApp-Endura's 23-year-old Irish rider, Sam Bennett.

Some 30km ahead of the frantic finale to the 166km stage from San Vicenzo, Movistar's Alex Dowsett had launched a lone attack from the break he had spent the day in, the British time trial champion seeking to put his talents in that discipline to pull off what would have been a spectacular solo win.

But passing under the 10km to go banner, his lead, which stood at around 2 minutes with 20km left, had been slashed to just 10 seconds and the Essex-born rider was swept up with some 7 kilometres left to ride.

Tirreno-Adriatico 2014
Simon MacMichael

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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4 comments

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Al__S | 10 years ago
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I do wonder if that bike was rideable either before or after the flounce?

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nicholassmith replied to Al__S | 10 years ago
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Al__S wrote:

I do wonder if that bike was rideable either before or after the flounce?

Apparently the right side of the handlebars broke which is what caused it, so might not have been too rideable. Quite surprised the bars broke, I'd have thought for someone like Kittel they'd have gone for strength over lightness.

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SideBurn | 10 years ago
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I was discussing the 'what do you do first after crashing' last night; check yourself or the bike? Maybe the way to tell the difference between the amateurs and pros is that that the pros throw bike and/or have a tantrum?
My son came off his bike and broke his wrist last year with a camera on his bike (downhill, MTB). It always gets a laugh that he checks that his wheels are not buckled before doing anything else!

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leqin | 10 years ago
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I see he isn't as good at parking as Brad

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