Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling’s Giorgia Bronzini won the second stage of the 2015 Route de France, between Villemandeur and Bourges, in a close sprint finish. As it had been the day before – when Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling’s Nettie Edmondson was narrowly beaten into second – the result was decided by a photo finish, as Bronzini just managed to push her front wheel over the line ahead of race leader Amy Pieters (Liv-Plantur). Kimberley Wells (Australia) finished third, just ahead of Edmondson, who had led Bronzini into the finish.
“In the end there was some chaos in the last kilometres, but I was always with Nettie,” Bronzini said. “Elisa stretched the bunch, and Nettie pulled me in the sprint!”
With a predominantly flat parcours, just as it had been in stage one, there were few opportunities for riders to escape. Four riders managed to briefly form a breakaway, but were unable to build a meaningful lead over the speeding bunch.
Some exposed stretches of the course saw the peloton exposed to crosswinds, which allowed the stronger teams to split the peloton into three parts. The race came back together again in time for the finish, however, where Bronzini was escorted into the final metres.
“The race was very quiet,” Bronzini explained. “But there were some points where Audrey [Cordon-Ragot] and Elisa [Longo Borghini] could do a little effort when there was some wind from the side. We managed to hurt the others a little bit, but not enough…”
After a pan-flat prologue and two sprint stages, the Route de France’s parcours should turn more challenging for stage three, as the race heads towards the mountains. Tomorrow’s route, between Nevers and Avallon includes the first serious climbs of the race, with three laps of a circuit that features an uphill finish.
Result
1. Giorgia Bronzini (Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling)
2. Amy Pieters (Liv-Plantur)
3. Kimberley Wells (Australia)
4. Annette Edmondson (Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling)
