22nd April – stage 2: Mezzolombardo – Sterzing
From Mezzolombardo to Sterzing, today’s stage of Tour of the Alps featured over 4300m of elevation—and it didn’t disappoint. Team Picnic PostNL took charge after the early break went clear, reeling it back in with 50km to go as the race hit the first of two laps on the local circuit featuring the Obertelfes climb.
The first ascent blew the bunch apart, with Romain Bardet and Max Poole making the front selection. A small group crested the climb with a narrow gap, but several riders regained contact on the descent. The pace surged again on the final ascent, triggering attacks. Storer launched clear, while Bardet contributed to the chase from a select GC group. Poole bridged back and helped drive the effort to the line.
Storer soloed to the win in Sterzing. Bardet finished 3rd, with Poole just behind in 10th after a strong team performance. Bardet now sits 5th in GC, 47 seconds behind new race leader Storer.
After the stage, Bardet said: “It was a solid day with five hours in the mountains. About halfway through the stage, the team took control and did a really good job setting things up to give us a shot at the stage win. Storer was obviously the strongest today, but finishing alongside Max in the group behind feels like a fair result for us.”
