Pavel Bittner avoided a late crash at the front of the peloton late on to be able to sprint for the stage on day two at La Vuelta a España, crossing the line in sixth place after a strong effort to the line. Teammate Max Poole was unfortunately involved in the crash but managed to finish in good shape and will be assessed this evening for any damage done.
The stage was earmarked by the sprinters throughout the peloton and the way it unfolded always made it look like it would be a fast bunch finish. Despite the early attacks, in the second half of the stage everything was back together and the pace was set at the front of the bunch to put off any further attacks, even over the day’s final climb before the fast run-in to the finish. Having spent much of the stage keeping Poole and Bittner in the wheels and out the wind, Team dsm-firmenich PostNL set about bringing the two up to the front in the closing kilometres. A crash within the final four kilometres took out Poole and derailed the lead-out, but he will receive the same time as the stage winner. At the front, Bittner was dropped off by Martijn Tusveld heading into the finish and managed to take sixth on the line.
