The second stage of the Tour of Hainan followed the same script asthe first. The stage from Xinglong to Wenchang ended in a sprint after several attacks, all kept under control and canceled at about 10 km from the finish.

Lampre-Merida did not try to attacks as all riders remained in the group with captain Sacha Modolo, making sure that he was well-protected all day.

Unfortunately, a crash involved Matteo Bono, Valerio Conti and Xu Gang. The latter was worst affected and after the finish he was transported to the hospital where he had several stitches. For Bono, there were no serious consequences while Conti suffered bruises that hopefully will not affect the condition in view of the next days .

The stage was decided in a sprint in which Roberto Ferrari worked for Modolo. The captain of Lampre-Merida, however, midjudged the wind and he sprinted about 200mfrom the finish line. Once again Andrea Palini managed to pass a Lampre-Merida in the final meters, taking the second win in a row.

“With this headwind, I probably launched my sprint too early”, Modolo realized. “Yesterday, I got boxed in. Today I make a serious improvement. With seven stages remaining, I’m hoping to get a stage win soon.”

Sports director Simone Pedrazzini said: "Today we rode well around Sacha , our main sprinter here in the Tour of Hainan. It was a shame with the crash at the halfway point as it involved Bono, Conti and Xu Gang. The latter has reported the worst consequences and we hope he will not be forced to abandon the home race.

"The sprint was pretty difficult because of the headwind, perhaps a short wait would have allowed Modolo to achieve victory, but we have to say that at this moment Palini is showing a nice condition and he is the man to beat.

"Tomorrow we will tryagain with Modolo , hoping that he will be able to express the most of his potential which we know to be important."

In the GC, Modolo is at 11" and Ferrari at 14". Lampre-Merida is at the head of the team standings.