Viviani wins Giro second stage, Matthews in pink
Italy`s Elia Viviani won a sprint finish for the second stage of the Giro d`Italia on Sunday over 177km between Albenga and Genoa.
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Rome: Italy`s Elia Viviani won a sprint finish for the second stage of the Giro d`Italia on Sunday over 177km between Albenga and Genoa.
Slovenian Luka Mezgec placed fourth ahead of Italian Alessandro Petacchi.
It was the first stage win in a major Tour for 26-year-old Viviani, a two-time world track championship medallist last February.
Matthews, 24, pulled on the pink jersey for the seventh time, after also grabbing it on the second stage last year.
Five riders -- Marco Frapporti, Lukasz Owsian, Giacomo Berlato, Eugert Zhupa and Bert-Jan Lindeman -- lead a long breakaway building a lead of nine minutes before being caught 11km from the line in the outskirts of Genoa.
The stage was also peppered with falls, notably Australian champion Heinrich Haussler and Italy`s Matteo Pelucchi who crashed in the final stretch.
Monday`s third stage is a 136km run through the Ligurian countryside between Rapallo and Sestri Levante.