MILAN — Colombian climber Miguel Angel Lopez won the Tour of the Alps second stage on Tuesday with Britain's four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome finishing fourth.
Astana rider Lopez timed his attack well to pip France's Thibaut Pinot and fellow Colombian Ivan Sosa on the line after the 145km ride between Lavarone to the summit finish of l'Alpe di Pampeago in Italy.
Team Sky's Froome crossed four seconds behind Lopez as he continues his preparations for next month's Giro d'Italia. All four riders were involved in a late dash for the finish line, with the Colombian clinging on over the final meters to come out on top.
The victory was the second for the Astana team after Spaniard Pello Bilbao took the opening stage. The 20-year-old Sosa of the Androni-Sidermec team takes the overall race lead from Bilbao with Froome moving up from fifth to fourth.
The 32-year-old Froome has been allowed to continue competing despite his case pending with the International Cycling Union's anti-doping unit after an adverse analytical finding for the asthma drug salbutamol at the Vuelta a Espana last September.
"I think I'm in a great position considering my main objective for this first part of the season is to be ready for the Giro," said Froome. "I'm on track for that and I'm happy with how I'm feeling. As a team it was a very good test for us. I'm really happy with how the guys performed, especially Kenny Elissonde in the final.
"The guy were really impressive today. I'm racing as hard as I can and I'm not going to give up just because I came fourth today. There's still a lot to race for."
Froome has already finished 10th in the Ruta del Sol and 34th in Tirreno-Adriatico this year and is using the Tour of the Alps — formerly the Giro del Trentino — as his last warm-up for the Giro d'Italia, which starts on May 4.
Wednesday's third stage covers 138km from Ora to the the southern Tyrol town of Merano with two difficult climbs along the way and a final summit 25km from the finish.
New Zealand's Bennett ‘lucky to be alive’ after crash
New Zealander George Bennett avoided potentially life-threatening injuries after he was hit by a car while training in Italy. The LottoNL-Jumbo rider was preparing for the Giro d'Italia's stage 16 time trial, which takes place near the first stage of the Tour of the Alps, when a car turned into his path.
"I was going pretty fast on the time trial doing a recon for the Giro," Bennett told cyclingnews.com. "A car was coming the other way. It didn't see us, and it turned left across the road and I went straight into the side of him and I went over.
"I was really lucky with how it happened. I'm lucky to be alive I think. It could have been me in a wheelchair for the rest of my life."
Bennett, who won last year's Tour of California, finished seventh in the opening stage of the Tour of the Alps on Monday. The 28-year-old's knees were heavily strapped but he remains confident about his chances in the Giro d'Italia which starts on May 4.
"Generally, I'm fine. My left knee I was a bit worried about and my left arm. The good thing is, I'm sore everywhere but nothing is really bad," he added.
Twelve months ago Italy's Michele Scarponi was killed on a training ride the day after completing the Tour of the Alps. The Paris-Roubaix one-day race this month was overshadowed by the death of Belgian rider Michael Goolaerts who crashed after suffering a heart attack. — Agencies
