Long team time trials must be fashionable in Spain. Recently the Tour of Valencia started with a 38 kilometres TTT and now the Volta a Catalunya even brings 3.3 kilometres extra to the table.
The 2nd stage is played out in Pla de l’Estany, a comarca in the northeast of Catalunya close to the French border. Usually, Banyoles is host to sprint stages in the Volta a Catalunya. Gianni Meersman (2013), Mark Cavendish (2010) and Thor Hushovd (2008) – they all sprinted to victory in the industrial centre just north of Girona.
No such thing in the 2017 Volta a Catalunya. The first 25.5 kilometres are played out on rolling roads before the route takes in 1.2 kilometre climb at 6%. Such an ascent could turn out to be crucial with better climbers dropping their team-mates on the slope. After this climb the parcours continues on rolling roads.
The final kilometres are raced on the banks of Lake Banyoles, which is located in a volcanic-tectonic depression. Every second 600 litres of water seep up from underground springs. An invisible power supply. Which is soething the riders could use also.
Results/report 2nd stage Volta a Catalunya 2017.
Volta a Catalunya 2017 stage 2: Route maps, height profiles, and more
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