Chavanel wins second stage of Tour de France
Sylvain Chavanel has won the second stage of the Tour de France in Spa.
Chavanel is the first French rider to win a stage since Romain Feillu back in 2008.
With a total distance of 201 kilometres, the 31-year-old Frenchman won with a time of 4 hours 40 minutes and 48 seconds. Maxime Bouet crossed the line in second with Fabian Wegmann in third.
Fabian Cancellara held the yellow jersey after winning the prologue on Saturday, but now Chavanel holds the coveted jersey, with Cancellara in second place in the overall standings.
“I didn't know what was going on behind me, although I did hear there'd been a crash. All I know is that I gave it everything I had. But whether the stage ended up being neutralised or not, it doesn't take anything away from my win,” said Chavanel.
On a rainy day, the Tour was once again filled with crashes. With 55-kilometres left, Mickaël Delage ran wide going around a corner, smashing his face on the barrier. He got treatment from the trackside doctor. Julian Dean and Simon Spilak also fell to the ground, though they didn’t suffer as much as Delage. As a result of the crash Delage has had to pull out of the Tour.
Towards the end, there was a major crash. Last year’s runner-up Andy Schleck went tumbling in the treacherous conditions, clutching his left elbow. He could not avoid the chaos caused by a QuickStep rider going down as well as a motorcyclist. Green jersey points leader Alessandro Petacchi also took a tumble in a separate incident.
Seven-time winner Lance Armstrong began the day in fourth, but has dropped down one position to fifth, while current champion Alberto Contador lies in seventh place.
The third stage of the Tour will begin at Wanze and finish 213 kilometres later at Arenberg Porte du Hainaut.
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