Tour of the Alps 2024 - Stage 2: Runaway rider De Marchi rides to victory as a soloist

Alessandro De Marchi (Jayco-AlUla) will be 38 years old in May. But the northern Italian still has enough power for almost 160 kilometres in an escape group across the Alps. Even to finish the endeavour victoriously. De Marchi won the 2nd stage of the Tour of the Alps, which started in Salurn in South Tyrol and ended 190 kilometres later in Stans near Innsbruck.

For De Marchi, who finished solo 1:20 minutes ahead of Patrick Gamper (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Simon Pellaud (Tudor Pro Cycling), it was the seventh victory of his career, the first since Tre Valli Varesine 2021. Last year, he missed out on the stage win at the Giro d'Italia by just 250 metres after another long escape. Back then, the approaching peloton with the eventual winner Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) arrived just in time to catch the breakaway.

De Marchi: "Race to inspire"

"It always takes a bit of luck and courage," said De Marchi, alluding to this in the winner's interview. "Sometimes it works out." Celebrating a victory like this at the age of almost 38 is a huge success for him and makes him very happy. Despite three stage wins at the Vuelta, he counts this "as one of the most important in his career. It means a lot to me. If this was my last victory, that would be fine. But I will keep trying, because I race to inspire." There are only a few riders like him who interpret cycling in this way.

35 kilometres after the start, De Marchi was part of a six-man group that was only half-heartedly chased by the peloton. Around 30 kilometres before the end of the longest stage of the tour, it was clear that the winner would come from the breakaway. De Marchi shook off his last companions on the final climb of the day around 15 kilometres before the finish.

Meanwhile, nothing changes in the overall classification. Tobias Foss (Ineos Grenadiers) remains in the overall leader's green jersey, but has to cede the jersey for the best in the points classification to De Marchi. The mountains jersey remains on the shoulders of Mattia Bais (Polti-Kometa).

>> Tour of the Alps 2024: route and TV broadcast

The top 10 of stage 2 of the Tour of the Alps

1. Alessandro De Marchi (Jayco-AlUla) 4:47:37
2. Patrick Gamper (Bora-Hansgrohe) +1:20
3. Simon Pellaud (Tudor Pro Cycling) +1:24
4. Gregor Mühlberger (Movistar) +1:47
5. Joan Bou (Euskaltel-Euskadi) +1:47
6. Fabio Felline (Lidl-Trek) +1:47
7. Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain-Victorious) +1:47
8. Wout Poels (Bahrain-Victorious) +1:47
9. Tom Donnenwirth (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) +1:47
10. Romain Bardet (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) +1:47

The current overall standings

1. Tobias Foss (Ineos Greandiers) 8:06:20
2. Chris Harper (Team Jayco-AlUla) +0:04
3. Esteban Chaves (EF Education EasyPost) +0:06
4. Ben O'Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) +0:10
5. Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain-Victorious) +0:13
6. Wout Poels (Bahrain-Victorious) +0:13
7. Romain Bardet (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) +0:13
8. Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) +0:13
9. Amanuel Ghebraigzahbier (Lidl-Trek) +0:13
10. Valentin Paret-Peintre (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) +0:13

>> The race report on stage 1 of the Tour of the Alps

How the 2nd stage of the Tour of the Alps 2024 went

The longest stage of the tour was slow to get going. It took almost 20 kilometres before the first attacks were launched. On the approach to the first intermediate sprint in Laives, the protagonists of yesterday's breakaway group tried to break away again. Mattia Bais (Polti-Kometa) in the mountains jersey, whose team-mate and brother Davide is already the sixth rider not to finish the tour - including Emil Herzog, who did not finish stage 1 - tried to secure the points against Kyrylo Tsarenko (Corratec - Vini Fantini) and Atsushi Oka (JCL Team Ukyo), but the Japanese rider won.

However, the escapees were quickly caught again and it took another 15 kilometres before a new group formed. Lukas Pöstlberger (Austrian national team), De Marchi, Pellaud and Yuma Koishi (JCL Team Ukyo) were joined by Oka on the second attempt and Gamper.

On the ever-so-slightly ascending terrain towards Brenner, where the riders passed the border between Italy and Austria, they built up a lead of a good four minutes. On the way, Pellaud won the second intermediate sprint. Gamper secured the mountain classification at Brenner (3rd category).

The leaders still had a four-minute lead with 60 kilometres to go. Only then did Ineos Grenadiers slowly increase the pace in the peloton. Koishi was the first to be unable to follow, falling back long before the second mountain classification (2nd category) of the day was ridden out in Gnadenwald. Pöstlberger also dropped back early.

The peloton stalls: Breakaways decide victory among themselves

With 33 kilometres to go and still three minutes ahead of the peloton, Gamper put an end to the cooperation in the group. He attacked and gained 20 seconds on his pursuers in ten kilometres. The lead over the peloton remained constant. But as the race entered the climb to Gnadenwald, De Marchi and Pellaud were back in the lead. The peloton, on the other hand, had written off the stage win and the gap grew to four minutes again.

De Marchi stepped up the pace again when he was caught. Gamper had no chance of following, and Pellaud, who had already been in the breakaway group the day before, also had to let go shortly afterwards. With a 40-second lead, De Marchi rode over the mountain classification and into the final 15 kilometres.

Then something did happen in the peloton. Georg Steinhauser (EF Education EasyPost) and Joan Bou (Euskaltel-Euskadi) attacked again shortly before the highest point and broke away. However, while this attempt failed, De Marchi safely rode home his lead on the final flat kilometres. Gamper and Pellaud also made it to the finish ahead of the peloton. Gregor Mühlberger (Movistar) secured fourth place in the sprint.