La Vuelta 2022 cycling Stage 2 LIVE - Who will come out on top in first sprint stage? Will Jumbo-Visma keep red jersey?

As is often the case with stages like this, there was very little drama to speak of until a breathless, thrilling and hugely entertaining finale. The fans in Utrecht got a real treat with that Bennett victory. Mads Pedersen and Tim Merlier rounded out the podium. Thanks for joining us for today's coverage. You can read the stage report below and look out for more reaction to follow.

What a victory for Sam Bennett, who triumphs in a thrilling sprint finish! It's a superb performance from the Irishman, who times his finish to perfection and clinches a huge victory on Stage 2 of La Vuelta!

There is a lot of road furniture on the roads leading to the finish in Utrecht and there have been a couple of minor crashes and little scares. But with 6.6km to go, the sprint has now got going in earnest!

Okay, it has all led to this: we have just over 15km to go in this intriguing day of racing. We have not had much drama to mention so far today, but the tension is building as we prepare for the big sprint in Utrecht. Tim Merlier has been widely tipped for the victory so let's see if he can deliver...

This may have been a day of little drama so far with the inevitably entertaining climax in Utrecht awaiting, where the jubilant fans will have created an atmosphere to savour for the riders, but the pace set has been both gruelling and relentless. It will all come down to what the sprinters have left to throw at the final burst. Primoz Roglic spoke about the wild fans in Utrecht last evening...

Everything is slowly building for a big sprint to finish today's stage in Utrecht where the atmosphere is sure to be buzzing. It will make for a stark contrast to yesterday's scenes when the dominant Jumbo-Visma gifted victory to the ultimate team player, Robert Gesink, who is proudly sporting the red jersey today.

Adam Blythe on commentary for Eurosport: "The breakaway here is riding quite cleverly. They are content with hanging and then will put the hammer down again if they need to. They are doing a great job of holding it." There is a mini attack on the flat before a little climb before the group goes back to five.

No one is entirely sure what the team's strategy is, but they continue to hold the front with no assistance from any others in the peloton. Do they make another push out or continue to hang back? On commentary for Eurosport, Adam Blythe predicts that the Alpecin–Deceuninck riders will wonder "what the heck were we doing?" when they sit down for their meal this evening.

Alpecin-Deceuninck have decided to pull their riders back from a breakaway with over 100km to go and the move has left Robbie McEwen, Adam Blythe and Dan Lloyd utterly baffled on commentary for Eurosport. Does it have anything to do with upcoming crosswinds? They don't think so; they are just confused.

Jumbo-Visma not only won the opening day with a dominant display in the Stage 1 team time trial, but they also managed to leave QuickStep-Alpha Vinyl boss Patrick Lefevere utterly baffled by their level of performance compared to all the other teams. The Dutch outfit stormed to a quite stunning triumph that was so convincing it left Lefevere to say they "come from another planet". Poor Patrick...

Ethan Hayter has provided an insight into the Ineos Grenadiers race strategy in his interview earlier on. It's fair to say Ethan was not overly enthused, but it does at least seem a wise strategy for the day.

It has been very subdued so far as the riders cruise through the Dutch countryside. The peloton moves away with 154km to go. It is certainly all smiles at Jumbo-Visma right now...

That was quite the start in 's-Hertogenbosch and the locals certainly enjoyed it! While the winds are expected to have a big impact on today's racing, it is currently very sunny and calm.

The crowds are out in 's-Hertogenbosch to see the riders off for today's racing and it's a lovely sunny day with a superb atmosphere. Winds are expected to cause some havoc today on what is a very flat stage.

Jumbo-Visma are already a dominant force in cycling, so Adam Blythe summed up the feeling of many fans of the sport when he gave his reaction to the team snapping up both Wilco Kelderman and Dylan van Baarle on day one of the 2022 Vuelta a Espana. Blythe could not believe that they were able to sign the duo and add to what is already a very impressive roster of talent.

Maybe there are gifts in professional cycling after all. Robert Gesink, the ultimate team player and loyal servant to Jumbo-Visma and previous iterations of the outfit, was rewarded for his dedication and selfless efforts over the years in a very special way as he was afforded the victory on Stage 1 of La Vuelta - a team time trial in Utrecht that was memorable in a number of ways. Read more below...

It is time for a punchy, flat 175.1km blast for the sprinters with the finish bringing the riders back to Utrecht. It should be fast and it should be fun!