Lobato loses track in Beijing sprint

Stage two of the Tour of Beijing went by quietly for Euskaltel on Saturday morning.

None of the riders made it into the day's main break, and sprinter Juan José Lobato and Garikoitz Bravo - the former's right-hand man in the sprint finishes - failed to mix it up with the big-shots at the end of the 201,5km leg from Huairou Studio City to Yanqing.

FDJ.fr's precocious sprinter Nacer Bouhanni eventually emerged victorious, besting Roberto Ferrari (Lampre-Merida) and Mitchell Docker to the line. Bravo came in 22nd, while Lobato cruised home for a distant 46th.

Heading into the last three stages, none of the team's riders have ceded any time overall.

Results:

• (1, Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ.fr), 4:59:49)
• 22, Garikoitz Bravo, s.t.
• 46, Juan José Lobato, s.t.
• 103, Juan José Oroz, s.t.
• 114, Mikel Landa, s.t.
• 136, Pablo Urtasun, s.t.
• 138, Ricardo García, s.t.
• 140, Mikel Astarloza, s.t.
• 142, Gorka Verdugo, s.t.

General classification:

• (1, Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ.fr), 9:20:13)
• 25, Garikoitz Bravo, 0:10
• 38, Juan José Lobato, s.t.
• 84, Mikel Landa, s.t.
• 85, Juan José Oroz, s.t.
• 129, Pablo Urtasun, s.t.
• 130, Gorka Verdugo, s.t.
• 131, Mikel Astarloza, s.t.
• 135, Ricardo García, s.t.

Photo: Iñaki Azanza