Giro d'Italia 2023 Stage 2: Crash mars finale as Jonathan Milan wins reduced bunch sprint

Is this a sign that Mark Cavendish will have a go later on? His Astana team have contributed two riders to help with the chase as the gap drops below the three-minute mark. After a long shift on the front by Trek's Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier, it's now a Movistar rider who is doing the honours on the nose. Their man Fernando Gaviria has five Giro stage wins to his name - although none since 2019. It's remarkable to think that the Colombian is still only 28 years old - and he's finding his form at Movistar, so definitely watch out for him at the finish.

The man in black have sent one of their number to help with the regulation of the break's gap, which is down to 3'15" as the race hits the Adriatic coast after a fast, twisting descent down from the hilltop town of Colonnella. DSM are apparently working for the German Marius Mayrhofer today, and not the Italian Alberto Dainese, who picked up a maiden Giro win last year. Mayrhofer won the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race earlier this season.

The British veteran won a stage at last year's Giro for his former team Quick-Step but Cavendish has yet to stand atop a podium for his new paymasters, Astana. The 37-year-old has twice been third - in the opening stage of the UAE Tour and in Scheldeprijs - but that's as close as he's got. Cav crashed out of the first stage of the Tour of Romandie, so his preparation for the Giro has been far from ideal. He also comes to Italy without a sprint train or even a lead-out man, so he'll have his work cut out in the finale. But if he can use his experience and ride the coattails of his rivals, who knows. Personally, I can't see it. But stranger things have happened...

Trek-Segafredo still have one man on the front of the pack paving the way for their sprinter Mads Pedersen, but behind there's a rider apiece from Alpecin-Deceuninck and Movistar, lending a hand to buy the right to set up their respective sprinters Kaden Groves and Fernando Gaviria later today. The leaders, meanwhile, are on another umcategorised lump with a gap of 3'30" over the pack.

That momentary split in the pack proved to be just that: momentary. It's all back together now and the advantage of the five leaders has come down to 3'50". The fans are out in their droves as the race passes through the town of Nereto which has really, well, gone to town with pink flags, balloons and bunting.

If you were too engrossed by the coronation of King Charles III yesterday and you forgot that the Giro had got started, then fear not: you can watch the highlights of the 19.6km race against the clock here, as Remco Evenepoel went into pink at the earliest opportunity.

We're not sure why but around 40 riders seem to have been tailed off on the gradual descent from the last uncategorised climb. They're not panicking for now - and the gap is only small - but it just goes to show how quickly things can change in Grand Tours even on the most innocuous of moments early in the day in an otherwise straightforward day in the saddle.

With the gap growing to a large 5'30" it's the Trek-Segafredo team of Mads Pedersen who decide that enough is enough. They now nose the pack as they look to keep a lid on the threat from the escapees - eyeing up, no doubt, that win for the Dane in San Salvo. Behind them it's the Soudal-Quick Step team of the maglia rosa, then Ineos Grenadiers and Jumbo-Visma.

It took him a while but Italy's Alessandro Verre (Arkea Samsic) has managed to join the other escapees ahead of the first uncategorised climb. He joins compatriots Mattia Bais (EOLO-Kometa) and Stefano Gandin (Team Corratec-Selle Italia) as well as French duo Paul Lapeira (Ag2R-Citroen) and Thomas Champion (Cofidis). The gap is already above the three-minute mark as the peloton trundles along piano, piano...

After a slight delay - owing to a priest who was blessing the peloton in the neutral zone (as you do) - this second stage has got going. And there's an attack from the outset as four riders go clear. They have one in pursuit... and no reaction from the pack, so it looks like the day's break has already been established.

The peloton is approaching Kilometre Zero and it's a lovely, warm, early summer's day in the Abruzzo. They should make the most of it because there's a fair amount of rain scheduled for the week ahead... A reminder of the jersey wearers today:

Remco Evenepoel (pink)
Filippo Ganna (cyclamino)
Tao Geoghegan Hart (blue)
Brandon McNulty (white)

It's a lumpy start to the 202km Stage 2 as the race leaves Teramo in Abruzzo. Two categorised climbs - both Cat.4 - come in the middle of this stage, sandwiching the two intermediate sprints, including one that comes atop a climb both higher and steeper than the ones giving out KOM points. It's then a flat run into San Salvo for what should be a bunch sprint finale.

Today the focus shifts to the sprinters and the name on everyone's lips is that of Mads Pedersen, the Danish former world champion who, if he wins today, would complete his grand slam of Grand Tour stage wins in under a year - having won stages at last year's Tour and Vuelta. But if the finale suits the pure sprinters then we could see the likes of Fernando Gaviria, Pascal Ackermann, Kaden Groves, perhaps even veteran Mark Cavendish... The Manx Missile doesn't have a sprint train at Astana, but he has a wealth of experience.

Filippo Ganna came closest to matching Evenepoel yesterday after a hugely impressive effort from his Ineos Grenadiers team-mate Tao Geoghegan Hart and solid rides from Joao Almeida and Stefan Kung. Here's the current top 5:

1. Remco Evenepoel
2. Filippo Ganna +22
3. Joao Almeida +29
4. Tao Geoghegan Hart +40
5. Stefan Kung +43

Other riders of note: Geraint Thomas +55, Aleksandr Vlasov +55, Damiano Caruso +1:28, Rigoberto Uran +1:35, Jack Haig +1:36.

The man touted to push Remco all the way in the fight for pink had a far from ideal start to his Giro. Primoz Roglic could only take sixth place in the 19.6km ITT yesterday and so he starts the first road stage already on the back foot. Could it have been tactical? Perhaps. After all, who wants to defend pink from the outset? This is a long race - and a race which will be won in the final week in the mountains, and not on the opening day in a flat race against the clock.

Good morning everyone - and it's time for the first road stage of this Giro d'Italia to get going. Remco Evenepoel is in pink after his dominant performance in yesterday's opening individual time trial. Will the Belgian be able to keep the famous maglia rosa all the way to Rome? The world champion shouldn't have too much trouble defending his lead today, which is likely to end up in a bunch sprint in San Salvo.