We got a taste of the mountains on Stage 2, thanks to the dramatic final climb up Limone Piemonte. There was rain along the course, and fog at the finish line. Oh, and a major crash that sent the entire Visma squad to the pavement. Yep, Sunday’s race had it all.

Giulio Ciccone of Team Lidl-Trek rode superbly, going toe-to-toe with Jonas Vingegaard but just a pedal-stroke slower at the end. (BTW, I was happy to see the Bumblebees recover from the crash, delivering their leader safely to victory.) David Gaudu of Team Groupama-FDJ finished third, just ahead of Egan Bernal of Team Ineos. (Great to see you in the top 5, Egan!)

João Almeida and Juan Ayuso, “co-leaders” of Team UAE-Emirates finished 5^th and 8^th, respectively. We’ll see how this team strategy works out in the coming days; I, for one, am highly skeptical . . . (Remember UAE’s debacle at the Giro?).

What’s Ahead in Stage 3: San Maurizio Canavese to Ceres (139 kms; mountains)

Although it’s a short stage, Monday’s race will be difficult: undulating terrain throughout, with a Category 2 climb at the midpoint. Sprinters will compete for their points after the Cat 2 descent, which seems rather mean, doesn’t it? After all, there aren’t many places for the fast men to shine in this Vuelta. Throw them a bone, whydontcha?

If the teams riding for GC allow a breakaway to form, things could get interesting. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the race evolve as Stage 2 did: Visma, UAE, and Lidl-Trek keeping each other in check, putting their leaders in position to duke it out at the finish. Wouldn’t mind seeing RedBull-Bora Hansgrohe, Ineos, and Q-36.5 in the mix, as their guys looked pretty good yesterday.

Vuelta Vaso de Vino Recommendation: Another Wine from Gianni Doglia!

For Stage 1 I pointed you to a delicious Freisa Rosato from Gianni Doglia, whose family has made wine in Piemonte since 1860. Here’s another one of his wines to try:

2024 Gianni Doglia Il Cortese Piemonte DOC ($20; 12% abv)

Cortese has been cultivated in Piemonte since at least the 17^th century and is best known as the grape of Gavi. It gives rise to crisp, fresh wines that are perfect for summer sipping, making perfect accompaniments to seafood and vegetable dishes. This one has lovely aromas of white peach, grapefruit, almonds, and honeydew melon; flavors of citrus, peach, and hay, with an appealing salty-savory finish. A summertime visit to my sister’s house would be incomplete without a glass or two of Il Cortese on the back porch as we watch the sunset.

Enjoy Monday’s race to the Alps! I’ll be back tomorrow with a recap of Stage 3 and a preview (plus a wine rec) for Stage 4.