Duitama (Colombia) (AFP)
Colombian Juan Sebastian Molano of UAE Team Emirates won the second stage of the Tour of Colombia on Wednesday, while Ecuadorian Jonathan Caicedo (EF Pro Cycling) retains the leader's jersey.
Molano, 25, won the final sprint, after a 152.4 km loop between the towns of Paipa and Duitama (center).
"The team has done a spectacular job. I am happy (...) to show myself, to win again," the runner, who is recovering from a broken hand in 2019, told ESPN.
At the end of this stage, interspersed with three sprints, the Ecuadorian Jonathan Caicedo retains the lead in the general classification.
He and his Education First team won the 16.7 km team time trial on Tuesday in Tunja (center), ahead of the Deceuninck-Quick Step, led by Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe, and the British team Ineos ( ex-Sky) by Egan Bernal.
The third stage will take place on 177.7 km on Thursday between Paipa and Sogamoso (center), with two passes of the fourth category.
A total of 27 teams, including six teams from the World Tour category, are taking part in this third edition of the Tour of Colombia.
In 2018, Egan Bernal won, before his Colombian compatriot Miguel Angel Lopez succeeded him in 2019.
- Classification of the 2nd stage:
1. Juan Sebastian Molano (COL / UAE) 3:12:09
2 Álvaro José Hodeg Chagüi (COL / DEC) mt
3 Itamar Einhorn (ISR / ISN) mt
4 Jhonatan Restrepo Valencia (COL / AND) mt
5 Edwin Avila (COL / ISN) mt
- General classification after the 2nd stage:
1. Jonathan Caicedo (ECU / EF1) 3h30: 10
2. Sergio Higuita (COL / EF1) mt
3. Daniel Martínez (COL / EF1) mt
4. Tejay Van Garderen (USA / EF1) mt
5. Lawson Craddock (USA / EF1) at 00:09.
6. Bert Peter Van Lerberghe (BEL / DEC) at 00:45.
7. Jannik Steimle (GER / DEC) mt
8. Egan Bernal (COL / INE) at 00:46.
9. Richard Carapaz (ECU / DEC) mt
10. Jhonnatan Narvaez (ECU / INE) mt
© 2020 AFP