Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali launched a late attack to claim victory in stage two of the Tour de France in Sheffield today and take the race leader’s yellow jersey.
Hundreds of thousands of people again lined the 201-kilometre route from York on a brutal and unpredictable day of racing.
Nibali (Astana), the 2013 Giro d’Italia champion, left it late but timed his bid to the line to perfection to secure victory ahead of a number of his rivals for the overall title.
He also claimed the race leader’s maillot jaune, from stage one winner Marcel Kittel (Giant-Shimano), who endured a difficult day.
Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) had not travelled to Sheffield to view the stage but took to the front up the day’s final climb, the brutally steep, 800m long Jenkin Road.
The Spaniard was unchallenged until, within sight of the summit, defending champion Chris Froome (Team Sky) stretched his legs.
The descent and run-in saw numerous attempts to break off the front, all of which floundered until Nibali burst clear inside the final 2km. – The Telegraph
View the results here.
