Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco-AlUla) was penalised for obstruction on the run towards the stage 2 dash on the Tour de Hongrie, however the rider nonetheless bought to maintain his stage runner-up spot behind Mark Cavendish (Astana-Qazaqstan).
Sam Welsford (Bora-Hansgrohe), who began the day within the race chief’s jersey after profitable stage 1, was using on Cavendish’s wheel forward of a sweeping right-hand bend lower than a kilometre from the end line. However then Groenewegen got here throughout and pushed Welsford off the Manxman’s wheel.
A high-quality of “CHF 200, 20% penalty in factors classification and 10 seconds penalty for infringement” was handed to Groenewegen within the Communique of the Commissaires panel included with the stage 2 outcomes. The penalty was because of the “obstruction by a rider in an effort to stop motion of one other rider”.
After the contact with Groenewegen, Welsford pulled out of the charging bunch and got here to a standstill. Bora-Hansgrohe stated on social media that Welsford had “hit the curb and punctured whereas battling for positions within the finale”. Because of this, the rider came visiting the road greater than a minute and a half again. Nevertheless, the communication within the official outcomes stated that because of the mechanical drawback within the final 3km, he was credited with the time of the winner.
Which means Welsford retained his place close to the highest of the general standings, with bonus seconds taken through the stage shifting Martin Voltr (Pierre Baguette Biking) into the highest spot, whereas the winners of the primary two phases – Welsford and Cavendish – sit 5 seconds again in second and third total.
Groenewegen – who was given a nine-month ban for his half in a crash involving Fabio Jakobsen on the Tour de Pologne in 2020 – is now sitting 96th on the tight GC, 19 seconds again.
It’s the second stage in a row the place penalties have been imposed on account of actions within the ultimate dash. On stage 1 a crash took down a number of riders because the cost to the road was unfolding, with Campbell Stewart (Jayco-AlUla) hitting the bottom arduous after peeling off after main out Groenewegen when Emils Liepins (DSM-Firmenich Publish NL) appeared to swing throughout his path and clip his entrance wheel.
Liepins was penalised for a “deviation from the chosen line that obstructs or endangers rider(s) through the ultimate dash” and was given a high-quality and a 25% penalty within the factors classification. He was additionally relegated to final place within the bunch on the stage.
The sprinters are more likely to take a again seat on the five-day race on Friday, with the climb-heavy stage 3 set to stretch out the final classification and ship the climbers to the highest of the rankings.
The 183km stage from Kazincbarcika to Gyöngyös-Kékestető incorporates a category-two ascent earlier than then heading to a 12km, 5.6%, category-one summit end.
