Stage 2

The road

At the start

Ganna in pink, sprinters in Novara

Filippo Ganna takes the maglia rosa on the opening day for the second year running, ten seconds up on Affini, with the overall men already half a minute adrift. Today is flat: one fourth-category bump at Montechiaro, two intermediate sprints, and a finish in Novara that has not seen the Giro since Merckx won here in 1968. It is also 9 May — ten years to the day since Wouter Weylandt died at this race.

How it was won

1. 140 km to go

   The sprinters stir

   The intermediate at Tricerro is the first real skirmish of the points classification, with the break's advantage crumbling and the lead-out trains beginning to form behind.

2. 2At the line

   Merlier's W in Novara

   Tim Merlier comes from behind to beat Nizzolo, Viviani, Groenewegen and Sagan, then raises his fingers in a W — for Wouter Weylandt, who died at this race ten years ago to the day.

The result