The riders of Team LottoNL-Jumbo have crossed the finish line of the first stage of the Tour of California safely. The flat stage in Long Beach ended in a bunch sprint. The team's leader Neilson Powless finished in nineteenth position.

"The boys helped me out really well today. I was always with someone", Powless said after the finish. "Tom and Maarten especially were helpful in the final few laps with keeping me towards the front. I felt really good out there. I think we are in a really good place going into tomorrow."

“It was a controlled stage", Sports Director Frans Maassen added. "It concluded in the expected bunch sprint. We didn't want to lose any time and wanted to stay out of trouble. And we did."

Stage 2 of the Tour of California is one for the GC riders. The finish is on Gibraltar Road, a twelve kilometres long climb with an average gradient of 8 percent.