Cycling professional Maximilian Schachmann defended the yellow jersey of the leader in the overall classification on the second stage of the Basque Country Tour.
The 31-year-old Berliner from Team Soudal Quick-Step finished at the finish line with the winning Australian Caleb Ewan (Ineos Grenadiers) at the same time with 186.6 km of this year’s tour of Pamplona-Iruña.
The 30-year-old Ewan confidently prevailed in the expected mass sprint in front of the Belgian Luca van Boven (Intermarché-Wanty) after the last driver was put from a long-running outlier group just under two kilometers before the finish.
Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) remains in the overall classification with one second behind. Joao Almeida (UAE Emirates-XRG) lies between the two Germans.
On the third stage, it will be much more difficult for Schachmann, who was able to win three stages of the tour in 2019, to defend the yellow jersey.
The section over 156.3 kilometers from Zarautz to Beasain is much more demanding with several climbs and over 3000 meters of altitude. The decision in the fight for the overall victory should traditionally fall around Eiibar on the last section on Saturday.
Although the very big mountains are missing, the Basque Country trip is a real challenge due to numerous, sometimes very steep climbs. However, the top stars are missing in the field, since they are mostly with the classics in Belgium and northern France this season phase.