Liquigas-Cannondale's young sprint powerhouse Elia Viviani continued his winning form found in Colorado, where he won two stages, by taking the Giro di Padania's second stage. At Vigevano, Viviani beat Sascha Modolo to the line, reversing the first stage's result and taking the overall leader's jersey from Modolo. At the line, Viviani threw up seven fingers, counting his season tally, while teammate and leadout man Daniel Oss celebrated behind in fourth place with his characteristic heavy metal salute. This is becoming a familiar scene, as the Oss/Viviani team continues to rack up sprint wins.
"Yesterday's second place left a bitter taste in my mouth," said Viviani. "And when we left this morning, my thoughts were only about how to repay the work of my teammates. For a long stretch we left the pacesetting to other teams, then took over with ten to go. There are some fast guys in the group: Modolo, Belletti, Guardini and Napolitano. Thanks to the great work by Bodnar, Sabatini and then Oss, I found myself in the perfect place for a good sprint. I only had to put the frosting on the cake!" He continued about his teammate Oss: "Daniel's showing himself to be an exceptional leadout man. His speed is something that very few in the group can get around. And between the two of us, there is a unique relationship. We only need to exchange a glance to know the right moment in the sprint. To have him as a leadout is a great advantage and I hope to repay him for his efforts and those of our teammates.
Organized with involvement by a political party that pushes for more autonomy of a northern separate state of "Padania", the Giro di Padania has been marked by political demonstrations and even aggression against the riders themselves. Marked by this controversy, the race continues with Olympic hopeful Viviani in the overall lead.
