Stage 2: Staying Alive

Stage 2: 101km ; Mission accomplished, keep my head down , stay with the peleton and keep the gaps closed!! I had myself pysched up for this stage and was worried that I would be dropped on the first of the 3.5 laps! Surprisingly I found the first lap fairly comfortable and was able to move with the surges in the peleton. The wind was not that much of a factor as I sat comfortable in the peleton , recycling from the back to the front third every now and again. Occasionaly I would pop my head over the top of the bunch to see who was away every time the pace picked up. Thankfully the Mr Price team who had Werner Moolman in yellow where happy to control the front. Attacks would routinely go off the front but nothing got more than 500m up the road. Even then the peleton was happy to leave the break dangling, instead of cranking the pace to bring it back. The adavantage of being in the bunch is that you pick up on all the side action, the cyclelab rider crashing to the ground trying to take his leg warmers off whilst on the move, or the Bulkpack vs Cyclelab punching/pushing match when the one refused to work with the other in the break. My only concern was to stay in there and I was feeling surprisingly good in the last 5km. The race came down to a bunch sprint and I was able to follow a few wheels to the first 10 places in the sprint. My aim was not to let any gaps open up as I crossed the line behind the sprinters and I was chuffed that I acomplished this. So we will have to check tomorrow but I'm sure I've moved up the GC, not quiet to 15th but a bit closer.