Oscar Onley beats Giulio Ciccone in uphill sprint to win Tour of Burgos stage 2

Oscar Onley of Netcompany INEOS won the second stage of the Tour of Burgos on Wednesday, defeating Giulio Ciccone and Jarno Widar in an uphill sprint at the Valle del Sol. The Scottish rider also took over the race lead from Visma | Lease a Bike’s Matthew Brennan.

The Tour of Burgos features a particularly strong field this year, with many of the riders expected to compete in the Vuelta a España using the five-day race as their final major preparation event.

The race began on Tuesday with an explosive uphill finish in Burgos. Visma | Lease a Bike took responsibility for controlling the peloton, with experienced Dutchman Steven Kruijswijk completing much of the work at the front.

Ben Tulett, one of the team’s general-classification options, then delivered an excellent lead-out for Matthew Brennan. Brennan emphatically finished the job, while Tulett held on for second place to complete a commanding Visma one-two and put himself in a strong overall position before stage two.

The second stage finished on the Valle del Sol, a 3.4-kilometre climb averaging 7.6 per cent. Before reaching the foot of the final ascent, the riders had to cover approximately 170 kilometres from the start in Arcos de la Llana.

Five riders used the long approach to establish the day’s breakaway: Yago Agirre of Euskaltel-Euskadi, Rodrigo Alvarez of Burgos Burpellet BH, Rayan Boulahoite of TotalEnergies, Diego Uriarte of Equipo Kern Pharma and Javier Ibañez of Caja Rural–Seguros RGA.

Kruijswijk was once again among the riders controlling the gap in the peloton, this time assisted by Netcompany INEOS rider Owain Doull. Their work, combined with the growing fatigue among the five leaders, ensured that the race came back together ahead of the decisive finale.

Tudor then moved to the front as the Swiss team attempted to deliver Mathys Rondel to the final climb in the best possible position. The other general-classification teams quickly began fighting for space as well, contributing to a crash involving UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider Pablo Torres. Fortunately, the Spaniard was able to continue.

Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe reached the final climb in a strong position and immediately used that advantage to increase the pace. Race leader Brennan initially remained near the front, close to teammate Tulett, but gradually dropped back after recognising that the ascent was too difficult for him.

Daniel Felipe Martínez launched the first significant attack, although Netcompany INEOS quickly brought the Colombian back. The British team then raised the tempo again on behalf of Oscar Onley, with Tulett and Lidl-Trek leader Giulio Ciccone among the riders able to respond inside the final two kilometres.

Jay Vine attacked for UAE Team Emirates-XRG shortly before the flamme rouge, but the Australian soon allowed his move to stall. Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe then regained control at the front as it attempted to position Giulio Pellizzari for the uphill sprint.

Jarno Widar was the first rider to launch his sprint, with Onley and Ciccone immediately following the young Belgian. Onley and Ciccone then came alongside one another and fought for the victory all the way to the line.

The Scottish rider ultimately proved strongest, beating Ciccone in a close head-to-head contest. Widar secured third place after another encouraging performance ahead of his expected Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta a España.

Onley’s victory also moved him into the overall lead, replacing opening-stage winner Brennan at the top of the general classification.

1. Oscar Onley (Netcompany INEOS)
2. Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek)
3. Jarno Widar (Lotto-Intermarché)