Tadej Pogacar took the second stage at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana and climbed to the top of the general classification of the race.
The 21-year-old managed to hold the former world champion Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) by a bike-length after the 181km rolling stage ended with a brutal 3.1km climb.
Dylan Teuns (Bahrain McLaren) rounded out the podium.
“I actually surprised myself today,” Pogačar said. “It was a good stage for me, a good finish, but I did not expect to win, because I never know how my form is after long break.”
Stage 3, on Friday, is 171km with 826m of elevation gain, and is another one for the sprinters, if they can manage the winds.
?♂️ | De kop is eraf voor supertalent Tadej Pogacar! Hij klopt Valverde in de tweede etappe van de Ronde van Valencia ? #VCV2020 pic.twitter.com/hsXCHrjI9S
— Eurosport Nederland (@Eurosport_NL) February 6, 2020
Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana 2020 – stage 2 results (Torrent – Cullera):
| 1 | Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) | 4:14:26 |
| 2 | Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) | ,, |
| 3 | Dylan Teuns (Bahrain McLaren) | ,, |
| 4 | Daniel Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation) | ,, |
| 5 | Jack Haig (Mitchelton-Scott) | ,, |
| 6 | Ion Izaguirre (Astana) | ,, |
| 7 | Ruben Fernandez (Fundacion-Orbea) | ,, |
| 8 | Gianni Moscon (Team Ineos) | ,, |
| 9 | Tao Geoghegan Hart (Team Ineos) | ,, |
| 10 | Greg Van Avermaet (CCC) | +05” |
Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana 2020 – general classification after stage 2:
| 1 | Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) | 8:22:09 |
| 2 | Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) | ,, |
| 3 | Dylan Teuns (Bahrain McLaren) | ,, |
| 4 | Daniel Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation) | ,, |
| 5 | Jack Haig (Mitchelton-Scott) | ,, |
| 6 | Ion Izaguirre (Astana) | ,, |
| 7 | Ruben Fernandez (Fundacion-Orbea) | ,, |
| 8 | Gianni Moscon (Team Ineos) | ,, |
| 9 | Tao Geoghegan Hart (Team Ineos) | ,, |
| 10 | Matej Mohoric (Bahrain McLaren) | +02” |
