Tirreno-Adriatico stage 2 live coverage – a chance for a bunch sprint?

Three Italians and a Swiss rider have the honour of making up the first break of the 2024 Tirreno-Adriatico. That’s Lorenzo Quartucci (Corratec-Vini Fantini), Jan Stockli (Corratec-Vini Fantini), David Bais (Polti-Kometa) and Filippo Magli (VF-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè. Right now they have a lead of 40 seconds on the peloton.

Four riders have made an early move over the Montemagno climb and are now heading through the coastal city of Livorno. Names to come soon.

One non-starter today: Italian allrounder Filippo Conca (Q36.5) has gone down with a fever and is no longer in the race.

As Ayuso is race leader, Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), third on Monday’s opening TT, is wearing the white jersey of BYR

And here’s a shot of Ayuso and Ganna at Tuesday’s startline in Camaiore, prior to the off.

A quick reminder of what happened in yesterday’s opening stage, where leading favourite Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) failed to repeat his 2022 and 2023 Lido di Camaiore triumph and finished one second behind Ayuso.

Tirreno-Adriatico: Juan Ayuso storms to opening time trial victory, takes first leader’s jersey

A reminder of our race classification leaders, who are all one and the same person: stage 1 winner Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) heads the GC, the points ranking and the Best Young Rider ranking. No Mountains leader yet as the opening time trial in Lido di Camaiore on Monday was completely flat, but whoever is fastest up the one classified climb of the day at km 96, provided they make it to the finish, will have the right to that leader’s jersey  on the winner’s podium at the end of the day in Follonica.

198 kms to go

And the race is officially underway. Only 198 kilometres to go

With so much flat after the Canneto climb, though, it’s almost certainly going to be a stage for the sprinters.

So far the riders have done 10 kilometres of 1,119 they have to tackle in this year’s seven-stage Tirreno-Adriatico, and on today’s 198 kilometre ride, there’s just one classified climb, the Castellina Marittima (11.8km  – 3%) peaking out at just under the half-way point, km 96.
Other than that, there’s a short opening  unclassified climb, the Montemagno (2.6km at 4.8%),…