Trek-Segafredo gained 32 seconds on Elisa Balsamo in a winning attack on Elisa Longo Borghini in the second stage of the Tour de France.

Balsamo attacked just after the final midway point at the 20km mark, and this was the catalyst for the six-man group to break away to the finish. Not an opportunistic move on a tough finishing circuit, this had been Trek-Segafredo's plan from the start.

"We had confirmed it beforehand at the briefing this morning," said Longo Borghini. Ina Twittenberg [of Trek DS] was really prepared and told us to go straight after the sprints because the sprinters would be calm." I knew it would be pretty technical going into the crosswind section, so I did exactly that."

Many perceived the day as a sprint stage, including escapee Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM), who thought Trek-Segafredo was backing Elisa Balsamo to win, but Longo Borghini explained that the world champion was running for the team's GC plan explained that he was running for the team's GC plan.

"Elisa [Balsamo] really wanted to run full throttle for me. 'She pulled me like there was no tomorrow. Ultimately, I just had to keep up the speed.

"It's not what you would expect from a sprinter, but she's more than a sprinter, she's a champion and that jersey is hers."

Longo Borghini, after winning the Tour de France women's race and finishing fourth overall at the Giro Donne, has ambitions for the Tour de France women's GC, but admits she needs to find a way to make up time before the final weekend of climbing.

"I have a very good pace on the climbs, but maybe I can't keep up with the best pure climbers, so I need to gain time somewhere.

"The Tour de France is quite long, so it's like saving a little money. I can ride at my own pace, but the pure climbers are probably 10 kilometers lighter than me."

Despite missing out on the win on stage 2, the Italian had no regrets about the day, losing gracefully to the "really strong" winner and yellow jersey newcomer Marianne Vos.

"I'm never comfortable when the GOATs are running," she laughed at the finish line. 'Marianne is always really strong in these kinds of finals.'