Andre Greipel in pink after stage two triumph

The Lotto–Soudal veteran took advantage of a mechanical problem suffered by rival Caleb Ewan in the home straight to triumph in the 221km stage from Olbia to Tortoli in Sardinia.

Ten bonus seconds for the win put Greipel, the German national champion, ahead of overnight leader Lukas Postlberger of Austria, who now trails Greipel by four seconds in the general classification.

Italy's Roberto Ferrari (UAE Team Emirates) finished second and Belgian Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo) came third after Australian Ewan (Orica-Scott) was left to rue his misfortune in the closing 100 metres of a frantic finale.

Race favourites including Nairo Quintana, Vincenzo Nibali and Geraint Thomas finished safely in the main group, with Welshman Thomas even sprinting to eighth place. But there was less luck for Russia’s Ilnur Zakarin who conceded 20 seconds to his GC rivals after a late split in the pack.

With over 4,000 vertical metres of climbing, the race’s second stage was animated by an early attack as six riders – Daniel Teklehaimanot (Dimension Data), Lukasz Owsian (CCC Sprandi Polkowice), Ilia Koshevoy (Wilier Triestina), Evgeny Shalunov (Gazprom - Rusvelo) and Simone Andreetta (Bardiani CSF) – broke clear after just six kilometres.

But a mild headwind and constant rolling roads meant the average pace was even slower than Friday’s opening stage – with Greipel eventually coming home after more than six hours in the saddle on a day of little drama.

The break built up a maximum lead of over six minutes but, after Owsian, Andreetta and Koshevoy faded first, the remaining escapees were reeled in over the summit of the second of two categorised climbs, with 45km still left on the horizon.

A two-man counter attack by Nathan Haas (Dimension Data) and Davide Martinelli (Quick-Step Floors) came to nothing as the Bahrain-Merida team of defending champion Nibali set a fast tempo on the long descent ahead of the finish.

The undulating terrain meant a cluster of big-name sprinters – including Ireland’s Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Italian national champion Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek-Segafredo) – were tailed off well before the finale.

Ewan looked well placed to go one better than his second place on Friday but the Australian clashed shoulders with Colombia’s Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step Floors) in the home straight, resulting in his left foot unclipping from the pedals. An apparent chain slip then made any chance of a comeback impossible.

With Ewan slamming his handlebars in frustration, Greipel opened up his final sprint, saw off the challenge from Gaviria, and then held both Ferrari and Stuyven at bay to take his fourth win of the season.

Victory for Greipel means the 34-year-old German has now won a stage in every Grand Tour he has ridden since the 2008 Giro d’Italia. It also gifted Greipel the first leader’s jersey of his career.

Daniel Teklehaimanot - It may seem churlish not to name Greipel as the man of the day, but Teklehaimanot put in a barn-storming display to win both intermediate sprints and take maximum KOM points over the Cat.2 Genna Silana pass from the breakaway.

Timing his acceleration to perfection, the Dimension Data rider dropped feisty co-escapee Shalunov before holding the returning peloton at bay to take the points over the summit that saw him move into the lead in the king of the mountains competition.

Having become the first Eritrean to wear the Tour de France’s polka dot jersey last July, Teklahaimanot repeated that feat for the Giro’s maglia azzurra – and trails Greipel by just three points in the points classification, too. Not a bad day at the office for the rangy 28-year-old climber…

“It was a very hard day – six hours on the bike with a headwind. I’m really proud of my team-mates who supported me. I’m really proud of this stage win and the pink jersey, which I dedicate to my team-mates and my mother.” An, er, proud Andre Greipel after making a little piece of history on Saturday.

Besides Teklehaimanot's blue cameo and some stunning scenery, there was not much for fans to enjoy. Even the riders looked to be checking their messages on their mobile phones...

Greipel will have the perfect opportunity to double up in the largely flat 148km stage from Tortoli to Cagliari, which features just the one categorised climb - the Cat.4 Capo Boi - with just over 40km remaining. Expect a fast finish and a chance at salvation for that man Ewan.