Starting at 8.20 am at the Sea Breeze Resort near Baku, 137 riders from 24 teams set off on the second stage of the five-day Baku Khankendi Azerbaijan Cycling Race, with the first 7 km being a neutralised section. Although 70 per cent of the 193.3 km route is almost entirely flat, numerous gruelling climbs in the southern foothills of the Caucasus will test the riders’ mettle. Two sprint classifications on the route (km 26.9 and km 138.7) and three mountain classifications (km 82.4, km 129.6, km 161.0) are on the programme. Race report: Two riders – Petros Menggs (ERI) and Pierre Barbier (FRA) – did not start due to injuries sustained in yesterday’s crash shortly before the finish. Following a fast start after 7 kilometres, this early phase was characterised by repeated unsuccessful attacks; furthermore, a crash involving three riders occurred after just five kilometres.
The 1st sprint classification (km 26.9) – Sumgyait: Henok MULUBRHAN Jambaljamts SAINBAYAR Aliaksei Shnyrko
After 42 km, a group of five riders breaks away and opens up a gap of initially half a minute on the peloton, which grows as the race progresses. Meanwhile, riders are gradually dropping out of the peloton as early as the first third of the race, including yesterday’s stage winner Aleksei Shnyrko from Belarus and the Belgian Yorben Lauryssen, wearer of the red mountains jersey. The peloton splits into two groups of 25 riders in the first, and a group of just under a dozen riders in the second section. At km 82.4, four riders from a leading group contest the first mountain classification with the following result: Lennert Teugels 5 Jambaljamts Sainbayar 3 Josh Burnett 2 Simon Pellauf 1
Just over halfway through the race, Feritcan Samli and Ferhat Emisci are the first to abandon, followed a few kilometres later by Alder Yergeshov, Tural Israfilov and Lorenzo Marentzi. Meanwhile, the leading group reaches the second mountain classification (km 129.6) with the following interim results: Lennert Teugels 5 David Delgado 3 Jambaliamts Sainbayar 2 Pablo Carrascola
A few kilometres later, the day’s second sprint classification (km 138.7) takes place in Samaxi, won by Australian Aaron Gate ahead of Henok Mulubrhan from Eritrea and Hugo Aznar from Spain: Aaron Gate 5 (3´´) Henok Mulubrhan 3 (2´´) Hugo Aznar 2 (1”)
Over the remaining 55 kilometres to the finish, several riders struggle with the sometimes gruelling mountain climbs and fall behind. At KM 161.0, the leading group tackles the third and final mountain classification: Alexandre Balmer 10 Lennert Teugels 7 Santiago Umba 5 Eric Antonio Fagundez 3 Eduardo Sepulveda 1 There are then repeated individual attacks. The Swiss rider Alexandre Balmer initially manages to break away successfully and seeks his salvation in a solo breakaway. Meanwhile, the Kazakh rider Yevgeniy Fedorov breaks away from the peloton around 13 kilometres from the finish. Balmers manages to maintain the gap, but cannot extend it. Fedorov catches up with the Swiss rider and eventually overtakes him 5.5 kilometres from the finish. It comes down to a head-to-head battle between the two for the stage victory. In the final sharp bend before the home straight, the Kazakh chooses the better line and clinches the stage victory just ahead of the Swiss rider. Third place goes to Eric Antonio Fagúndez Lima from Uruguay. In addition to the stage victory, Yevgeniy Fedorov also takes the lead in the general classification (blue jersey) and the green jersey for the best sprinter. Belgian Lennert Teugels was honoured at the finish as the new wearer of the mountains classification jersey. The white jersey for the best young rider went to Spaniard Iker Gomez. 126 riders crossed the finish line today within the required time limit. Tomorrow’s third stage covers 162.9 km from Gabala to Mingachevir.
