Cycling: Edo holds off Bartoli's charge

ANGEL EDO sprinted to victory in the second stage of the Giro d'Italia yesterday but Switzerland's Alex Zulle remained the race leader.

With several of his major rivals out of contention, the Spaniard held off Sunday's winner, Mariano Piccoli, and another Italian, Nicola Loda, who was third at the end of the 160km (99.2 miles) from Alba.

As Edo led the main charge to the finish, Michele Bartoli, who is second overall, switched to the other side of the road and attempted a solo break for the line, but he could not make the pace. Although the Italian has clawed his way to within 10 seconds of the overall lead, he missed the chance to put further pressure on Zulle, a reluctant leader in the first week of a gruelling three-week tour, by failing to finish among the first three riders home, who pick up time bonuses.

Bartoli clipped two seconds off his overall deficit with third place at an intermediate sprint, but his bid for the 12sec winner's bonus, when he attacked on the Capo Berta climb 5km from the finish, was crushed.

Today's third stage has an early climb, followed by flat riding over the 196km (121.5 miles) from Rapallo to Forte Dei Marmi along Italy's western coastline.