Ruta del Sol 2017: Pinot takes Queen Stage, Contador new leader

At 179.9 kilometres, the Queen Stage of the Ruta del Sol takes in four ascents to travel to a summit finish after a 5.3 kilometres closing climb at 9.3%. It's there that Contador goes on the attack, yet he is caught in the dying metres of the race by Pinot. The Frenchman wins the stage and Contador takes the leaders jersey. (Slideshow route/profile)

Results 2nd stage 2017 Ruta del Sol

1. Thibaut Pinot (fra)
2. Alberto Contador (spa) + 0.02
3. Alejandro Valverde (spa) + 0.07
4. Ion Izagirre (spa) s.t.
5. Mikel Landa (spa) + 0.09
6. Diego Rosa (ita) s.t.
7. Wout Poels (nld) + 0.13
8. Sebastien Reichenbach (swi) + 0.28
9. Pieter Weening (nld) + 0.46
10. Floris De Tier (bel) s.t.

GC after 2nd stage
1. Alberto Contador (spa)
2. Thibaut Pinot (fra) + 0.03
3. Alejandro Valverde (spa) + 0.05
4. Ion Izagirre (spa) s.t.
5. Diego Rosa (ita) + 0.07
6. Wout Poels (nld) + 0.11
7. Mikel Landa (spa) + 0.12
8. Sebastien Reichenbach (swi) + 0.26
9. Rigoberto Uran (col) + 0.49
10. Pieter Weening (nld) + 1.08

Race report
With 6 kms done a group of six riders break free. Breakaway boy Tim Wellens is one of them, while the other escapees are Felix Grosschartner, Antonio Nibali, Georg Preidler and Xandro Meurisse. They race to a maximum lead at over 8 minutes.

Tim Wellens and Felix Grosschartner leave their companions behind with around 55 kms to go. A little later Wellens heads out on his own. But he doesn’t succeed and he is reeled in at the lower slopes of the closing climb.

Mikel Landa attacks 4 kms before the top. Trek ups the pace for Contador and he goes with 2.6 kms left, leaving a shattered field behind. Pinot is the first chaser, while Valverde and Izagirre try to bridge over, but to no avail. Instead they are accompanied by Rosa and Landa.

In the last 200 metres Pinot tracks down Contador and overtakes the Spaniard. The Frenchman wins the stage, albeit both will de satisfied as El Pistolero takes the overall lead.