18 Apr 2023
Geoghegan Hart doubles up
Related riders
Tao Geoghegan Hart
Tour of the Alps - Stage 2 » Reith im Alpbachtal › Ritten, 165.2km
Tao Geoghegan Hart extended his overall race lead at the Tour of the Alps after securing a second win in a row on stage two.
The Brit was looked after expertly by his INEOS Grenadiers teammates on the day, and was once again able to time his final burst to take the win. Geoghegan Hart did well to stay upright on the left-hand corner entering the velodrome in Ritten, with nearest rival Felix Gall (Ag2r-Citroen) crashing next to him.
Pavel Sivakov played a key role in the closing stages to help keep the group together, shutting down a dangerous attack from Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) to bring the leaders back together inside the final kilometre. Fourth place on the stage also saw Sivakov elevate himself into fourth overall, 28 seconds behind his teammate. Gall's time was restored after the stage and he sits second, 18 seconds back on Tao.
Once again the team committed superbly to the cause, with Ben Swift spending huge stretches on the front of the peloton controlling the break. Thymen Arensman also impressed with a strong turn on the first of the day's two concluding climbs, thinning out the bunch to help lay the foundations for victory.
The Brit was looked after expertly by his INEOS Grenadiers teammates on the day, and was once again able to time his final burst to take the win. Geoghegan Hart did well to stay upright on the left-hand corner entering the velodrome in Ritten, with nearest rival Felix Gall (Ag2r-Citroen) crashing next to him.
Pavel Sivakov played a key role in the closing stages to help keep the group together, shutting down a dangerous attack from Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) to bring the leaders back together inside the final kilometre. Fourth place on the stage also saw Sivakov elevate himself into fourth overall, 28 seconds behind his teammate. Gall's time was restored after the stage and he sits second, 18 seconds back on Tao.
Once again the team committed superbly to the cause, with Ben Swift spending huge stretches on the front of the peloton controlling the break. Thymen Arensman also impressed with a strong turn on the first of the day's two concluding climbs, thinning out the bunch to help lay the foundations for victory.
Tao Geoghegan Hart celebrates with Laurens de Plus - who once again put in a great turn on the front
Reaction
- Tao Geoghegan Hart
"I think you have recognise Pavel in that final. He made it very easy with his strength because he kept the race together. Without his strength and also experience to ride in the smart way, it would have been much harder to keep that group together. You have to react to every move and he did an amazing job.
"Ben Swift also all day, riding really smart and really strong. All the team. It was really nice to see Thymen (Arensman) looking great today after not feeling super yesterday. He bounced back and showed the true legs and talent that he has. All around everyone did a great job, I only had to do about 70 metres in the end.
"Tomorrow is another race. It’s a longer climb and is very different to yesterday and today. I’m looking forward to it and we’ll see how it goes."
- Tao Geoghegan Hart
"I think you have recognise Pavel in that final. He made it very easy with his strength because he kept the race together. Without his strength and also experience to ride in the smart way, it would have been much harder to keep that group together. You have to react to every move and he did an amazing job.
"Ben Swift also all day, riding really smart and really strong. All the team. It was really nice to see Thymen (Arensman) looking great today after not feeling super yesterday. He bounced back and showed the true legs and talent that he has. All around everyone did a great job, I only had to do about 70 metres in the end.
"Tomorrow is another race. It’s a longer climb and is very different to yesterday and today. I’m looking forward to it and we’ll see how it goes."
