Stage 2 | Nîmes / Gruissan | Vuelta a España 2017

The wind blew across the south of France but the Vuelta a España peloton did not split although there was a change of race leadership at the finish in Gruissan.

Although there were no breakaways, it was still a tense, nervous day in the peloton as no one wanted to get caught out if gaps started to open in the bunch.

In this episode of The Cycling Podcast, Richard Moore and Lionel Birnie are joined by Spanish journalist Fran Reyes to review the racing, which resulted in a one-two for Quick Step Floors as Yves Lampaert won his first Grand Tour stage ahead of Matteo Trentin. Lampaert also took the red jersey.

We hear from Quick Step sports director Geert Van Bondt about the team’s plan, and from Mark Christian, whose Aqua Blue team-mate Adam Blythe was third on the stage.

Plus there’s a chat with Quick Step’s boss Patrick Lefevere, who sounds remarkably sanguine about losing his two Tour de France stars Marcel Kittel and Daniel Martin next season.

The Cycling Podcast is supported by Rapha and Science in Sport.