Stage 2

The road

At the start

López in red, and a minute's silence

Astana's mistake-free team time trial put six men in the first six places and Miguel Ángel López in red, two seconds up on Gilbert and Jakobsen. Before anyone rides today the race stands for a minute's silence for Bjorg Lambrecht. Then 200 kilometres of Costa Blanca training-camp roads, up and down for every one of them, with the ten-per-cent wall of the Cumbre del Sol topping out twenty kilometres from Calpe.

How it was won

1. 139 km to go

   Armée rides for Lambrecht

   Sander Armée, riding for a Lotto-Soudal team still raw from its loss, attacks decisively out of the break with 39km to go — a move that will never reach the line, but it is the spirit of it that matters.

2. 220 km to go

   The elite six escape

   On the final climb of the Puig Llorença, Roche and Nieve spark a move that Quintana, Urán, Roglič and Aru latch onto; a punished, isolated López is left without an answer and the six ride clear.

3. 33 km to go

   Quintana's perfect timing

   With 3km to go Quintana jumps; the rest of the leaders glance at one another, and the handful of seconds he steals in that instant is all the Colombian needs.

4. 4At the line

   Quintana solos in Calpe

   Quintana holds off Nieve and Roglič to win in Calpe, a huge early statement of GC intent, while López haemorrhages 40 seconds.

The result