CHIAYI (15 March 2010) - It was probably the best move he’s ever made in his career and for Shimizu Miyataka riding on the tail of Hong Kong’s prolific Wong Kam Po gifted him the second stage of Tour de Taiwan 2010.
The long flat ride of some 136km from Chiayi City Hall to the historically spiritual finish at the Fentien Temple might not have promised much but the end was anything but predictable.
And for the second day running, the absent of the bunch finish meant that for some of the riders, they are just not up to the mark while for much of the others, it was a race par excellence.
“We had the right strategy in place for this stage and with the terrain being flat, there’s every possibility that one of us can take it,“ said Miyakata of team Bridgestone Anchor afterwards.
“The final lap was important and I tailed Kam Po before hitting the gas at the end, it was a little gamble but it being my first time here, it was a chance and a fight I was willing to take - and it paid off.”
The several breakaways throughout the day did not yield the advantage some of the riders were looking for.
And despite the ban on radio communication, there was enough experience in the peloton to make sure that only a few riders with the right kilometres on their legs survive going into the final sprint at the Fengtien Temple.
Stage 2 Results Download TDT Stage 2
Overall - Stage 2 Results
1st SHIMIZU Miyataka
2nd WONG Kam Po
3rd Smolen TOMASZ
Specialized Novatec - Stage 2 Results
54th Chu Fan Hsin ( + 0sec)
85th Chen Tsun Kuei (+3min 16sec)
86th Hsieh An Lung (+ 3min46sec)
91st Yang Chia Hong (+ 4min52sec)
Overall GC - after 2 stages
1st David MCCANN Giant
2nd Philip GAMON Kenda (+ 11sec)
3rd William CLARKE Genesys Wealth Advisers (+ 11sec)
19th CHU Fan Hsin Specialized Novatec (+ 1min07sec)
75th CHEN Tsun Kuei Specialized Novatec (+ 6min43sec)
87th HSIEH An Lung Specialized Novatec (+ 9min05sec)
88th YANG Chia Hong Specialized Novatec (+ 11min33sec)
Team Classification - after 2 stages
1 Hong Kong Team
2 CKT Tmit - ChampionSystems (+1min23)
3 Shimano Racing Team (+1min33)
4 Kenda (+2min16)
5 Giant Asia Racing team (+2min56
6 Action Racing Team
13 Equinox KFT Team
17 Exustar Cycling Team
19 Specialized Novatec
20 E-Ma Cycling Team
