Richard Carapaz neared the crest of the Côte du Castell de Montjuïc for the final time, saw an attack go out of the diminished group of favorites, and went.

Richie immediately opened up a gap, put his head down, and decided to take his chance, driving the pace into the descent. Richie's move came back on the downhill and he and Alex Baudin sprinted into the finish by the Estadi Olímpic with the front group. The two EF Education-EasyPost riders finished 14th and 15th, respectively, after an excellent showing from the whole squad on the baking hot roads from Tarragona to Barcelona.

The pace was hot from the start as the peloton raced along the Mediterranean coast, before cutting inland and into the hills around Barcelona ahead of the brutal city center circuit. Our guys were switched on, navigating the peloton as if they were playing Mario Kart to keep to the front. When the race split, Sean Quinn, Alex, and Richie made the elite front group. That bodes well for the very tough stage 3, which will take the peloton from Granollers into the Pyrenees, where the race will finish across the French border in Les Angles.

"Well, we knew today was a special, beautiful day here at Montjuïc. I knew the roads very well, and in the end, I had the legs, and I wanted to try it. It was a really hot day. In the finale, Quinn did a really nice job. I tried to win the stage on the final climb. It was hard. At one moment, I had 10 meters. I tried again, but … we stayed in the game. Now, we have more days, important days for the team. The morale in the team is super high now. I am happy. I have the legs. We'll go day by day. I think we're going to have some really nice days." - Richard Carapaz

"Having three guys up there in the finale shows that the team is in good shape. The guys did a really good job. It's a good start. I was feeling really good, but I struggled to get into position going into the first climb. I had to do a big effort to come back." – Alex Baudin

"It was like a video game, honestly. It was like a meme. I've never talked so little in a bike race. We were just on it. There was so much noise. It was like Mario Kart — try not to slip up. The atmosphere was electric. We had three of us in a pretty selective group and Richie went alright. I just ran out of legs on the last climb, unfortunately, but I am happy with the general feeling. I love racing in atmospheres like this. I've got pain in the legs, but can't complain. A grand tour isn't two days long, so hopefully we can keep it up. I'm sure all eight of us will be there at some point." – Sean Quinn

“It was a crazy day with so many spectators, so many people next to the road, cheering. My ears are still ringing. It was an amazing atmosphere. It was super nice.” – Georg Steinhauser

"We handled it well – some of the best in the race were there in the finale. Michael, Max, and Kasper did fantastic work coming into the bottom of the first climb. We had two guys confirm what we expected on the circuit, and one surprise: Sean rode out of his skin. He was right in the mix of the racing, on an extremely selective stage. So if we keep ticking along like this, we're definitely on the right track. I think Richie even surprised himself with how well he was feeling, but he just seizes the moment. Tomorrow is a complicated situation – a more open race than we'd expect. Heat, long climbs, a high-altitude sprint. It could go two different ways. Let's see." – Charly Wegelius, Head Sports Director

Richard Carapaz fueled well to make sure he had strength in his legs during the final ascent to the Estadi Olímpic and for tomorrow’s third stage. The Olympic gold medalist drank five bidons of Amacx Energy during the stage, as well as plenty of water, eight Amacx Turbo gels, and one rice krispie bar to total 491 grams of carbs during the stage. That is 132 grams of carbs per hour!

Former intern Lasse Klier worked many jobs for the team before he landed his current position as Marketing and Partnerships Support. He drove cooling mattresses around France and Spain, made beds, cleaned and transported bikes, shot photos and video, and organized our team’s online archives. Today was the highlight of his budding career. Lasse lives in Tarragona, the start city for today's stage, and he was the proudest tour guide the Tour de France has ever seen. These are Lasse's favorite spots in his hometown.

Tarragona Amphitheater

“This is the oldest amphitheater of the Hispanic province of the Roman Empire. It's right next to the coast, and it's basically a postcard when you see it. People would either believe it's AI or not believe it at all. And the beach next to it is basically empty –  it's super beautiful. Definitely a must-see.”

Olo Café

“They opened about two months ago and they're like family to me. I go there basically every day and they treat me really well. They're also in the old town, same place where I live, and they bring together the old-town community, cycling, and coffee – so it's like three things all together. I'm just happy to help them with whatever I can – we're like a small family.”

La Mussara

“My favorite bike ride is definitely up La Mussara. It's the nicest climb next to the city, and actually one of the best-known in Catalonia. It's got really nice hairpins too, like you'd find in France – just not as well-known, obviously. It's definitely a place to take your bike – you can see the sea while riding, on the right-hand side of the mountain. It is super nice.”

This morning, Owen made the squad a big batch of granola bars to eat as snacks over the next few days. Rich in healthy carbs, they are a great source of fuel when the guys are traveling in the bus or relaxing in their hotel rooms between meals. We asked him to share his recipe. This one is adapted to make eight servings.

Ingredients

240 g rolled oats

80 g unsalted butter

24 g extra-virgin olive oil

36 g muscovado sugar

30 g soft light brown sugar

20 g caster sugar

50 g honey

2.5 g fine sea salt

40 g chopped dates

30 g chopped dried apricots

15 g goji berries

20 g sesame seeds

30 g chopped almonds

30 g chopped walnuts

Method

Preheat the oven to 160˚C (fan) and line a suitable baking tin.

Gently melt the butter, olive oil, sugars, honey, and salt until smooth.

Combine the oats, dried fruit, nuts, and sesame seeds in a bowl.

Pour over the warm syrup and mix until everything is evenly coated.

Press the mixture firmly and evenly into the prepared tin.

Bake for 20-24 minutes, until lightly golden around the edges with a little color on top.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.

Transfer to the fridge for at least two hours, or until completely firm.

Slice into eight portions using a sharp knife. This gives clean edges and helps the flapjack hold together well.

On stage 2, the peloton raced from Tarragona to Barcelona. The word we use to describe a pack of cyclists is borrowed from French. Its root is Latin –  pila – which means a small ball. The Romans' legacy extends far beyond the ruins of amphitheaters and aqueducts like the ones in Tarragona. Their language shaped most modern European languages. The English word platoon, for instance, comes from the same root. Peloton was also a military term before it entered the world of cycling. Before it described the multicolored pack swooping across the French countryside, it was used to describe a small group of soldiers moving together, like a little ball, across terrain. Cycling journalists first drew the comparison in the late 19th century and peloton entered cycling's lexicon.