The Colombian continued his progress, notching up his first podium since returning to competition.
Stage 2 of the Tour of Britain was the longest of this edition (211 km) and traveled from Kielder to Blyth, where a 21-year-old Fernando Gaviria nabbed a memorable victory two seasons ago, as a Quick-Step Floors stagiaire. The Giro d'Italia points classification winner was again among the protagonists, but not before a breakaway took center stage for most of the stage, making the peloton work hard in order to bring them back, before the ten kilometers to go mark.
Then, with around eight kilometers left, Ronde van Vlaanderen and Amstel Gold Race winner Philippe Gilbert attacked from the bunch and put ten seconds between him and the chasers, managing to hang onto that small advantage until inside the final four kilometers, when the pack swept past him and marched towards the finish in Blyth, a small town in Northumberland.
Fernando Gaviria was once again piloted by Maximiliano Richeze and even though he still isn't in top shape, the 23-year-old Colombian came fourth and secured a second consecutive top-5 finish in Blyth. A few minutes after concluding the stage, Fernando was promoted to third, after initial winner Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data) was relegated for irregular sprinting and Elia Viviani (Team Sky) was awarded the stage victory.
Ahead of the third stage, which will take place on Tuesday, between Normanby Hall and Scunthorpe, Quick-Step Floors has two riders in the general classification top 10: Gaviria and Zdenek Stybar, who also finished both stages so far in the first ten.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele
