Rolling out for stage two at the Tour de Hongrie, the peloton were faced with another predominantly flat route; albeit with more climbs than the opening stage. Setting out with a plan, the team looked to stay safe throughout early proceedings before setting up fast-finisher Casper van Uden for the run to the line.
As expected, it was a steady start to the day with a small breakaway going clear and although they built up a reasonable sized gap, the peloton was always in control. Heading into the closing 40 kilometres it stood at only just north one minute, with the peloton letting them dangle out front before making the catch inside ten kilometres remaining. It was a nervous finale though, with several crashes in the bunch, but after riding well as a group towards the front the team managed to avoid any spills.
With the bunch flying past the three kilometres remaining mark, the team moved forward as a unit and hit the front; peeling off one-by-one. As the finish gantry approached, Van Uden launched his sprint at around 300 metres to go, not wanting to be boxed in. Giving everything to the line, three other riders would pass him, with Van Uden ultimately finishing in a strong and very respectable fourth place. Tomorrow sees the first day for the climbers and the puncheurs of the peloton.
