Matteo Moschetti (Q36.5) pipped Matteo Malucelli (XDS Astana Team) to the line by the barest of margins to win stage 2 of the Vuelta a Burgos in Buniel, his win only confirmed after a photo finish.
The two Italians came to the line at rapid speed, just in front of Juan Sebastián Molano (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) in a three-up blanket finish from the sprint.
Moschetti hit the front first in the final charge for the line, with Molano on his left and Malucelli charging up his right very late. Despite the latter's high closing speed from the slipstream, the Q36.5 rider just held on to win.
This was Moschetti's 13th professional victory, and fifth in what's already been a great 2025 season, often punching above his weight against sprinters on WorldTour teams.
Stage 1 winner Roger Adrià finished safely in the front bunch to hold onto his four-second overall lead and the purple jersey.
His first real defence will come on Thursday's stage 3, with a difficult climbing stage en route to Valpuesta.
"It was very close, I didn't think I had won before it was officially confirmed with a photo finish. The team worked very hard today, so I want to thank them all for the work they did," said Moschetti.
"It was a stage that was very important for us, with a great opportunity at getting the stage victory. We've done a very good job to win."
Moschetti said the team's focus would now turn to Damien Howson's GC ambitions, with the hardest climbing days to come on tomorrow's stage 3 and the final day to Lagunas de Neila on Saturday.
The Vuelta a Burgos resumed for stage 2 from Cilleruelo de Abajo, with 161km and the easiest route of the race on paper on offer to Buniel in Castilla y León.
A four-man breakaway was formed quickly by riders from the lower division Spanish teams: Joan Albert Riera (Illes Balears Arabay), Iker Mintegi, Txomin Juaristi (Euskaltel - Euskadi), Ander Okamika (Burgos Burpellet BH), and they led the race until the final 10km.
They were pulled back gradually after three and a half hours by the peloton, led by UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Q36.5, with a likely reduced-sprint finish incoming.
Several teams swapped on the front in the charge for the line, but no one could establish a full lead-out train to pilot their sprinter. At times, Tudor and Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale took over on the front, but it was the teams who'd been working all day that came to the fore in the end – Q36.5 and UAE.
Moschetti hit the front for the Swiss team after one of his teammates and XDS Astana's Gleb Syritsa had finished their turns, sprinting early in the wind but with a good kick. UAE's Molano wasn't far behind and tried to come out of the Italian's wheel.
He lacked enough speed to overtake Moschetti, however, though there was another challenger coming up his other side and down the middle of the road – compatriot Malucelli.
Despite it coming down to a photo finish, Moschetti was confirmed as the stage winner, pipping his fellow Italian by a tyre's width.
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