Second stage, second breakaway for Team Polti Kometa at the Giro d’Italia: Davide Bais

The second stage of the Giro d’Italia saw another breakaway for Team Polti Kometa, as Davide Bais (launched by his brother Mattia from km 0) immediately went on the attack in an all-Italian move. Along with his four fellow adventurers, last year’s Campo Imperatore winner crossed the Canavese with nearly four minutes advantage over the peloton. Then, on the first of the four climbs in the province of Biella, Piccolo from EF attacked and the rider from Polti Kometa chased along with two other survivors of the breakaway.

On the third of the four climbs, towards Nelva, the 26-year-old from Trentino sat up and waited for the peloton, satisfied after 135 kilometers battling the wind and ready to assist Davide Piganzoli and Matteo Fabbro on the ascent to the sanctuary of Oropa, named the montagna Pantani of this Giro in memory of the Pirate’s feat in 1999.

In the end, Piganzoli was the team’s highest placed rider, finishing 28th almost two minutes behind the winner Pogacar. “Tadej is too strong, but we managed to stay together and maintain our pace,” commented the climber from Valtellina.

Yesterday, the day’s escapee was Pietrobon, today it was Bais: “After placing in intermediate sprints and KOMs, I decided to conserve precious energy,” said Davide, “because the corsa rosa is still long and there are several days to try to achieve a result.”

Sports director Stefano Zanatta added: “We were immediately on the ball with the Bais brothers. Davide did well not only to get into the breakaway but also to help his teammates position Fabbro and Piganzoli at the foot of the final uphill. We are maintaining our standards and the health of the riders, which is crucial for the upcoming stages.”

Tomorrow will see another raceday in Piedmont, covering 166 kilometers: it should be an opportunity for the sprinters, although the finale in Fossano is not completely flat.