Charlotte Kuhl (Team DSM) has taken on the role of lead-out rider for Lorena Wiebes, the fastest female rider in the peloton this season.

Wiebes has 47 wins at just 23 years old, and Kuhl has helped her skilled teammate win after stepping up from Team NXTG Racing this season. Kuhl was given a chance to sprint on the final stage of the Women's Tour in June, but was unable to get into position, and Wiebes responded to take the win.

This time, the team's attention was on Kuhl in the sprint for the second stage of the Giro d'Italia; the 23-year-old looked strong but was cornered at a crucial moment. However, she came back strong and finished third behind winner Elisa Balsamo (Trek-Segafredo) and runner-up Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma).

"The 106.4km Tortolì stage looked like it was going to be a kicking contest for the bunch, but the breakaway was over 3 minutes behind before being reeled in by the peloton with around 10km to go.

"It was a pretty easy but warm day," Kool said after the race. 'The team provided us with a lot of bottle points, which allowed us to stay cool right to the end.'

"We really followed the plan throughout the day. Leah (Kirchmann) and Fransi (Franziska Koch) took the positions we had discussed at the crucial moments."

"In the final, I lost sight of Fransi a little bit. So I think I could have trusted myself more and started sprinting earlier. But tomorrow I want to do a better race and go for the win."

Coole now has four chances for a sprint finish in the competition, in stages 3, 5, 6, and 10.

"I did a really good job to get Charlotte in a good position on the last curve. The podium is great, but we want to do better in the next race," said Huub Duijn, director of Team DSM.