Stage 2 of the Vuelta a España 2019 was won by Nairo Quintana (Movistar Team) on Sunday afternoon in Calpe after he attacked from an elite group of six riders with just over 3km to go, holding off his rivals over the final metres.

Nicholas Roche (Team Sunweb) and Primoz Roglic (Jumbo Visma) finished just behind Quintana in second and third respectively, whilst Rigoberto Uran (EF Education First), Fabio Aru (UAE Team Emirates) and Mikel Nieve (Mitchelton-SCOTT) were in close quarters to complete the top six. Irishman Roche now leads the early GC by two seconds from Quintana.

The stage was a hilly 200km affair in the red hot Spanish sun starting in Benidorm and concluding in Calpe on the Costa Blanca. Many of the riders in the peloton are familiar with the roads covered during the stage as many train in the Calpe area during the off-season, with the the tough Puig Llorença climb 25km from the finish a well known and demanding test.

Ahead of the start there was a minute's silence observed in tribute to Bjorg Lambrecht, the 22-year-old who tragically died during the Tour de Pologne representing Lotto Soudal in just his second year as a professional.