Bystrom 9th in crash struck finale in Provence

Norwegian champion Sven Erik Bystrom was the best placed UAE Team Emirates rider on stage 2, coming home in 9th place at the Tour de la Provence (2.Pro) in France.

The undulating stage from Cassis to Manosque (174.7k) was a war of attrition with wet and cold conditions and the challenging parcours making it a day for the strongmen.
Davide Ballerini (Deceuninck Quickstep) took his second stage win in as many days, with the Emirati team rounding out the top-10 through Bystrom on the uphill kick to the line.

Valerio Conti was involved in a crash when he slipped on a wet section of road with 35km to go. He was unhurt and managed to bounce back to finish the stage. Matteo Trentin also saw his chances dashed, getting caught up behind spills in the final kilometre.

Tomorrow will be the decisive day in the GC, taking the riders from Istres to the historic climb of Mont Ventoux/Chalet Reynard (153.9k).
Tour de la Provence stage 2 results

1.Davide Ballerini (Deceuninck-Quickstep) 4:21:49
2.Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo) s.t
3.Alex Aranburu (Astana) s.t
9. Sven Erik Bystrom (UAE Team Emirates) s.t

 
General Classification after stage 2

1.Davide Ballerini (Deceuninck-Quickstep) 9:04:52
2.Alex Aranburu (Astana) +16’’
3.Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quickstep) +17’’