August 11, 2015 (Bourges, FRA) – Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling’s Giorgia Bronzini won the second stage of the 2015 Route de France, between Villemandeur and Bourges, in a close sprint finish. As it had been the day before – when Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling’s Nettie Edmondson was narrowly beaten into second – the result was decided by a photo finish, as Bronzini just managed to push her front wheel over the line ahead of race leader Amy Pieters (Liv-Plantur). Kimberley Wells (Australia) finished third, just ahead of Edmondson, who had led Bronzini into the finish.

“In the end there was some chaos in the last kilometres, but I was always with Nettie,” Bronzini said. “Elisa stretched the bunch, and Nettie pulled me in the sprint!”

With a predominantly flat parcours, just as it had been in stage one, there were few opportunities for riders to escape. Four riders managed to briefly form a breakaway, but were unable to build a meaningful lead over the speeding bunch.

Some exposed stretches of the course saw the peloton exposed to crosswinds, which allowed the stronger teams to split the peloton into three parts. The race came back together again in time for the finish, however, where Bronzini was escorted into the final metres.

“The race was very quiet,” Bronzini explained. “But there were some points where Audrey [Cordon-Ragot] and Elisa [Longo Borghini] could do a little effort when there was some wind from the side. We managed to hurt the others a little bit, but not enough…”

After a pan-flat prologue and two sprint stages, the Route de France’s parcours should turn more challenging for stage three, as the race heads towards the mountains. Tomorrow’s route, between Nevers and Avallon includes the first serious climbs of the race, with three laps of a circuit that features an uphill finish.

Results

1. Giorgia Bronzini (Ita) Wiggle Honda 2:59:13
2. Amy Pieters (Ned) Team Liv-Plantur
3. Kimberley Wells (Aus) Australia
4. Annette Edmondson (Aus) Wiggle Honda
5. Lauren Kitchen (Aus) Hitec Products
6. Aurore Verhoeven (Fra) Lointek Team
7. Roxane Fournier (Fra) Poitou-Charentes.Futuroscope.87
8. Anna Trevisi (Ita) Inpa Sottoli Giusfredi
9. Oxana Kozonchuk (Rus) Russia
10. Claudia Lichtenberg (Ger) Team Liv-Plantur
11. Daiva Tuslaite (Ltu) Inpa Sottoli Giusfredi
12. Eugénie Duval (Fra) Poitou-Charentes.Futuroscope.88
13. Eugenia Bujak (Pol) Btc City Ljubljana
14. Leah Kirchmann (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
15. Carlee Taylor (Aus) Lotto Soudal Ladies
16. Aude Biannic (Fra) Poitou-Charentes.Futuroscope.90
17. Lucia Gonzalez Blanco (Esp) Lointek Team
18. Fiona Dutriaux (Fra) France 0:05
19. Brianna Walle (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
20. Larisa Pankova (Rus) Astana-Acca Due O
21. Polona Batagelj (Slo) Btc City Ljubljana
22. Cecilie Gotaas Johnsen (Nor) Hitec Products
23. Ursa Pintar (Slo) Btc City Ljubljana
24. Amélie Rivat (Fra) Poitou-Charentes.Futuroscope.86
25. Loren Rowney (Aus) Australia
26. Charlotte Bravard (Fra) Poitou-Charentes.Futuroscope.89
27. Kaat Hannes (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Pro-Duo
28. Spela Kern (Slo) Btc City Ljubljana
29. Ane Santesteban Gonzalez (Ita) Inpa Sottoli Giusfredi
30. Silvia Valsecchi (Ita) Bepink Laclassica
31. Nel De Crits (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Pro-Duo
32. Elena Utrobina (Rus) Bizkaia-Durango
33. Anouk Rijff (Ned) Lotto Soudal Ladies
34. Claudia Cretti (Ita) Inpa Sottoli Giusfredi
35. Ingrid Drexel (Mex) Astana-Acca Due O
36. Olga Dobrynina (Rus) Bizkaia-Durango
37. Jessica Mundy (Aus) Australia
38. Jenelle Crooks (Aus) Australia
39. Jessie Daams (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies
40. Coralie Demay (Fra) France
41. Lucy Garner (Gbr) Team Liv-Plantur
42. Jesst Druyts (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Pro-Duo
43. Anna Ramirez Bauxel (Esp) Bizkaia-Durango
44. Lierni Lekuona Etxebeste (Esp) Bizkaia-Durango
45. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Wiggle Honda
46. Molly Weavers (Gbr) Team Liv-Plantur
47. Marion Sicot (Fra) France
48. Julia Soek (Ned) Team Liv-Plantur
49. Amber Neben (USA) Bepink Laclassica
50. Mayuko Hagiwara (Jpn) Wiggle Honda
51. Emilie Rochedy (Fra) France
52. Lieselot Decroix (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies
53. Martina Ritter (Aut) Btc City Ljubljana
54. Anna Potokina (Rus) Russia
55. Kseniia Dobrynina (Rus) Astana-Acca Due O
56. Audrey Cordon (Fra) Wiggle Honda
57. Jaime Nielsen (Nzl) Bepink Laclassica
58. Belen Lopez Morales (Esp) Lointek Team
59. Eider Merino Kortazar (Esp) Lointek Team
60. Jasmin Glaesser (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
61. Amy Cure (Aus) Lotto Soudal Ladies
62. Tetiana Riabchenko (Ukr) Inpa Sottoli Giusfredi
63. Maura Kinsella (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
64. Ilaria Bonomi (Ita) Bepink Laclassica
65. Ingrid Lorvik (Nor) Hitec Products
66. Annie Ewart (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
67. Ana Maria Covrig (Rom) Bepink Laclassica
68. Angela Maffeis (Ita) Inpa Sottoli Giusfredi
69. Ariane Horbach (Ger) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
70. Manon Souyris (Fra) France
71. Soline Lamboley (Fra) Lointek Team
72. Fien Delbaere (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Pro-Duo
73. Carolina Rodriguez Gutierrez (Esp) Astana-Acca Due O
74. Natalya Saifutdinova (Kaz) Astana-Acca Due O
75. Greta Richioud (Fra) Poitou-Charentes.Futuroscope.91
76. Makhabbat Umutzhanova (Rus) Astana-Acca Due O
77. Willeke Knol (Ned) Team Liv-Plantur 0:27
78. Shannon Malseed (Aus) Australia 0:29
79. Fanny Leleu (Fra) France
80. Ellen Skerritt (Aus) Australia
81. Isabelle Beckers (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies
82. Samara Sheppard (Nzl) Bizkaia-Durango
83. Saartje Vandenbroucke (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Pro-Duo
84. Marina Likhanova (Rus) Russia 0:33
85. Tatiana Shamanova (Rus) Russia
86. Lindsay Marie Fox (USA) Bepink Laclassica
87. Tone Hatteland Lima (Nor) Hitec Products
88. Anna Christian (Gbr) Wiggle Honda 1:09
89. Janicke Gunvaldsen (Nor) Hitec Products
90. Dafné Therous Izquierdo (Can) Lointek Team 0:14:37
DNF Tatiana Antoshina (Rus) Russia
DNS Mia Radotic (Cro) Btc City Ljubljana

GC after Stage 2

1. Amy Pieters (Ned) Team Liv-Plantur 5:50:41
2. Eugenia Bujak (Pol) Btc City Ljubljana 0:03
3. Annette Edmondson (Aus) Wiggle Honda 0:04
4. Leah Kirchmann (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 0:05
5. Lauren Kitchen (Aus) Hitec Products 0:06
6. Aude Biannic (Fra) Poitou-Charentes.Futuroscope.90 0:07
7. Brianna Walle (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 0:09
8. Jaime Nielsen (Nzl) Bepink Laclassica
9. Claudia Lichtenberg (Ger) Team Liv-Plantur 0:11
10. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Wiggle Honda
11. Martina Ritter (Aut) Btc City Ljubljana 0:12
12. Daiva Tuslaite (Ltu) Inpa Sottoli Giusfredi 0:13
13. Kimberley Wells (Aus) Australia
14. Jasmin Glaesser (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
15. Silvia Valsecchi (Ita) Bepink Laclassica 0:14
16. Amy Cure (Aus) Lotto Soudal Ladies
17. Roxane Fournier (Fra) Poitou-Charentes.Futuroscope.87 0:16
18. Cecilie Gotaas Johnsen (Nor) Hitec Products 0:17
19. Carlee Taylor (Aus) Lotto Soudal Ladies
20. Maura Kinsella (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
21. Jessie Daams (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies
22. Polona Batagelj (Slo) Btc City Ljubljana 0:18
23. Coralie Demay (Fra) France 0:19
24. Eugénie Duval (Fra) Poitou-Charentes.Futuroscope.88
25. Anouk Rijff (Ned) Lotto Soudal Ladies 0:20
26. Amélie Rivat (Fra) Poitou-Charentes.Futuroscope.86
27. Amber Neben (USA) Bepink Laclassica 0:21
28. Annie Ewart (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
29. Molly Weavers (Gbr) Team Liv-Plantur
30. Julia Soek (Ned) Team Liv-Plantur
31. Audrey Cordon (Fra) Wiggle Honda
32. Lucy Garner (Gbr) Team Liv-Plantur
33. Tetiana Riabchenko (Ukr) Inpa Sottoli Giusfredi 0:22
34. Elena Utrobina (Rus) Bizkaia-Durango 0:23
35. Belen Lopez Morales (Esp) Lointek Team
36. Jenelle Crooks (Aus) Australia
37. Ana Maria Covrig (Rom) Bepink Laclassica 0:24
38. Jessica Mundy (Aus) Australia
39. Giorgia Bronzini (Ita) Wiggle Honda
40. Ingrid Drexel (Mex) Astana-Acca Due O
41. Ursa Pintar (Slo) Btc City Ljubljana 0:25
42. Eider Merino Kortazar (Esp) Lointek Team
43. Mayuko Hagiwara (Jpn) Wiggle Honda 0:26
44. Lieselot Decroix (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies
45. Loren Rowney (Aus) Australia 0:27
46. Ilaria Bonomi (Ita) Bepink Laclassica 0:28
47. Aurore Verhoeven (Fra) Lointek Team
48. Fiona Dutriaux (Fra) France
49. Charlotte Bravard (Fra) Poitou-Charentes.Futuroscope.89
50. Larisa Pankova (Rus) Astana-Acca Due O 0:29
51. Marion Sicot (Fra) France
52. Anna Ramirez Bauxel (Esp) Bizkaia-Durango
53. Lucia Gonzalez Blanco (Esp) Lointek Team
54. Nel De Crits (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Pro-Duo 0:30
55. Kaat Hannes (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Pro-Duo
56. Soline Lamboley (Fra) Lointek Team 0:31
57. Ane Santesteban Gonzalez (Ita) Inpa Sottoli Giusfredi
58. Ariane Horbach (Ger) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 0:32
59. Janicke Gunvaldsen (Nor) Hitec Products
60. Oxana Kozonchuk (Rus) Russia
61. Makhabbat Umutzhanova (Rus) Astana-Acca Due O
62. Greta Richioud (Fra) Poitou-Charentes.Futuroscope.91 0:33
63. Spela Kern (Slo) Btc City Ljubljana
64. Emilie Rochedy (Fra) France 0:34
65. Claudia Cretti (Ita) Inpa Sottoli Giusfredi 0:36
66. Anna Trevisi (Ita) Inpa Sottoli Giusfredi
67. Carolina Rodriguez Gutierrez (Esp) Astana-Acca Due O
68. Natalya Saifutdinova (Kaz) Astana-Acca Due O 0:37
69. Olga Dobrynina (Rus) Bizkaia-Durango 0:38
70. Ingrid Lorvik (Nor) Hitec Products 0:39
71. Manon Souyris (Fra) France 0:43
72. Lierni Lekuona Etxebeste (Esp) Bizkaia-Durango
73. Anna Potokina (Rus) Russia
74. Jesst Druyts (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Pro-Duo
75. Willeke Knol (Ned) Team Liv-Plantur
76. Fien Delbaere (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Pro-Duo 0:44
77. Ellen Skerritt (Aus) Australia 0:45
78. Isabelle Beckers (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies
79. Kseniia Dobrynina (Rus) Astana-Acca Due O 0:48
80. Shannon Malseed (Aus) Australia 0:49
81. Saartje Vandenbroucke (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Pro-Duo 0:50
82. Fanny Leleu (Fra) France 0:53
83. Angela Maffeis (Ita) Inpa Sottoli Giusfredi 0:57
84. Tone Hatteland Lima (Nor) Hitec Products 1:06
85. Tatiana Shamanova (Rus) Russia 1:12
86. Lindsay Marie Fox (USA) Bepink Laclassica
87. Marina Likhanova (Rus) Russia 1:17
88. Samara Sheppard (Nzl) Bizkaia-Durango 1:24
89. Anna Christian (Gbr) Wiggle Honda 1:32
90. Dafné Therous Izquierdo (Can) Lointek Team 0:15:16