Stage 2 – Most Aggressive Rider and 2 top 10
In Stage 2 of Tour of Missouri, Martin Gilbert and Guillaume Boivin both positioned in top 10 with respectively 5th and 9th position. François Parisien did a great race making the decisive break of the day at around 45 km into the stage with Tim Duggan/ Garmin and Kiel Reijnen/Jelly Belly joining him. The gap increased to almost 5 min
before Columbia-HTC intensified their chasing tempo. Mark Cavendish’s team mates controlled the race at the front of the peloton all day trying to bring back the break. At approxiamately 40 km to go the gap had dropped to around 2 min 30 sec. Only during the last hour of the race that few other teams came to the front to reduce the gap. The Jelly Belly rider got a mechanical issue with 20 km to go and could not keep going with the break. Not long after François start attacking Duggan. The peloton eventually swarmed them at 6 km to the finish. It was then time for the sprinter squad (Lacombe, Gilbert & Boivin) to come up front and position the lead out for Martin in the final sprint against Cavedish, Thor, JJ Haedo and others. For his effort of the day, Francois received the Most Aggressive rider of the day jersey. Following the podium, François was convoked for the Press conference with Mark Cavendish, winner of the 2 stage.
Martin Gilbert is sharing his point of view of the first 2 stages:
We have our chance and we will not let it pass. The Tour of Missouri is a great opportunity for the Team to show we can rival against the best of our sport. On Monday, 1st Stage, we showed we can fight to keep our position for the sprint and I took the 5th place. Being 5th is a good result for me, but it is also the result of our mechanic who insures the good functioning of our bicycles to perform perfectly to fly at 65km/h at the sprint; the “soigneurs” who massage and prepare our bottles and feed so we don’t miss of anything. the directors in the car who motivate us and tell the tactics, the Team sponsors who believe in us, follow the race from their offices and hope we will perform good show and to end, my team mates who suffer during hours to permit me to get the results. So with the whole Team behind me, who gives its 110% and bring me to the sprint to go against the best; I have the pressure to be fast. 5th is good, but we will do better and we will attempt to achieve higher.
Stage 2.
I finished for a second time in 5th position in the sprint. We are not far from it. A little more of synchronism and we will get on the podium beside the best in the world. The other team already gives us more respect than the 1st stage. Now they acknowledge the Canadians are fighters and leave us the place in the peloton, because they know we will take it no matter what.
Result Stage 2
1- Mark Cavendish / Columbia HTC 4:16:53
2 – Thor Hudshovd / Cervelo Test Team all s.t.
3 – Juan Jose Haedo / Saxo Bank
5 – Martin Gilbert
9 – Guillaume Boivin
71 – Bruno Langlois
78 – Andrew Randell
85 – Ryan Roth
100 – Keven Lacombe 1:05
111 – Charly Vives 4:31
112 – François Parisien
François Parisien received the Most Aggressive rider jersey for Stage 2
GC After Stage 2
1 – Mark Cavendish / Columbia–HTC 7 :00 :29
2 – Thor Hudshovd / Cervelo Test Team 7 :00 :39
3 – Juan Jose Haedo / Saxo Bank 7:00:39
23 – Guillaume Boivin / Planet Energy 7:00:49
59 – Ryan Roth 7:00:49
75 – Bruno Langlois 7:00:49
76 – Andrew Randell 7:00:40
97 – Lacombe 7:01:54
111 – François Parisien 7:05:17
114 – Charly Vives 7:05:49
Guillaume Boivin 8th Best Young Rider Classification (1985 and younger)
Martin Gilbert is 5th in Sprint Classification with 12 points
