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12:07:00 - Welcome To The Live Coverage Of Stage TwoThe second stage of the 2009 Tour de France – a 187km race from Monaco to Brignoles – is due to get underway shortly. The riders are schedule to begin rolling away from the site of the ‘depart fictif’ at 12.15pm and ride towards the Place du Casino in Monaco where there will be an official ceremony to mark the first road race stage of the 96th edition. There is a long neutral zone before a flag will be waved by race director Christian Prudhomme to signal the start of racing. This is expected to be at around 12.45pm. 12:11:32 - Hot Conditions For Stage TwoThe temperature is rising as the peloton prepares to leave Monaco. The sun is shining brightly and there's hardly even a breeze to provide some relief from the hot and humid conditions. It's expected to be dry today for the race to Brignoles. 12:15:03 - Peloton Rolling Towards Official CeremonyThe bunch has left the site of the start and is now riding at a tranquil pace towards the Place du Casino in Monaco where an official ceremony is schedule to take place. The riders in two of the prize jerseys - Cancellara and Kreuziger - are currently at the front of the bunch. 12:17:52 - Three Intermediate SprintsThere are three intermediate sprints in the second stage, each offering six, four and two points for the first riders across the line. They are in Nice (at 27km), then Fayence (91.5km) and Lorgues (138km). 12:19:13 - Four Climbs In Stage TwoThe second stage also features four categorized climbs, they are in: La Turbie (cat-3 at 8.5km), Roquefort-les-Pins (cat-4 at 49.5km), Tournon (cat-4 at 81.5km) and L’Ange (cat-4 at 129km). The points allocation for the category-three ascent is: 4, 3, 2 and 1 points for the first four riders; while the category-four rises carry 3, 2 and 1 point for the first three riders. 12:21:52 - La Marseillaise PlaysThe French national anthem is being played by a band as the peloton takes part in an official ceremony. The race director Mr Christian Prudhomme is standing beside His Royal Highness Prince Albert of Monaco for the ceremony. 12:23:24 - Ribbon Cut: Almost Ready To Race...His Royal Highness Prince Albert and Christian Prudhomme have cut ribbon at the head of the peloton and a few gifts have been exchanged after the playing of the national anthems. The official protocols are almost over and the race will commence shortly. 12:27:17 - Prize Classifications – Part 01: Yellow JerseyThe winner of the first stage of the 2009 Tour de France, Fabian Cancellara (SAX) leads both the general and points classifications thanks to his stunning ride in the 15.5km time trial around Monaco. He will wear the yellow jersey for the second stage from Monaco to Brignoles. This is the Swiss rider’s 10th day in the color of the Tour leader. He has worn the ‘maillot jaune’ twice before – for two days in the year of his debut in the race (2004) when he won the prologue in Liege and for seven days after his prologue victory in London in 2007. 12:29:16 - Peloton Rolling In Neutral ZoneThe official protocols are over and the riders are now pedaling along in the neutral zone. The start of racing is expected to be at around 12.45pm. 12:31:31 - Prize Classifications – Part 02: Polka-Dot JerseyThere was a climb in the Tour’s opening time trial for the first time since 2000 and this means that points were awarded for the first riders at the top of the cote de Beausoleil. The fastest man up the ascent in the time trial was Alberto Contador (AST). He has worn the white jersey before and won the yellow jersey but this will be the Spaniard’s first day in the polka-dot top. He has three points in the climbing classification, one more than German Columbia rider Tony Martin, while Bradley Wiggins is ranked third. 12:32:18 - Yellow Bike For Cancellara...Fabian Cancellara has a specially painted yellow Specialized frame for the second stage. The hoods of his SRAM levers are also colored the same as his jersey for this, his 10th day (in total) in the yellow jersey of the Tour de France. 12:36:38 - Prize Classifications – Part 03: Green JerseyBradley Wiggins has a consolation prize for his efforts in the time trial yesterday; he will get to wear the green jersey. He is actually ranked third in the points classification but because the two men ahead of him – Fabian Cancellara and Alberto Contador – are wearing other jerseys, the British Garmin-Slipstream rider will be in green for the second stage. 12:37:07 - Prize Classifications – Part 04: White JerseyRoman Kreuziger was ranked second overall in the youth classification in his Tour debut last year. After his seven place in the opening time trial, he has earned the right to wear white for the second stage. He is the best rider in the race who was born after 1 January 1984. The Czech from Liquigas has a one-second advantage over Tony Martin (THR) and five-seconds over his Italian team-mate Vicenzo Nibali. 12:38:53 - Prize Classifications – Part 05: Best TeamThe teams classification is judged on the times in each stage of the three best riders from each squad. Astana finished with four riders in the top 10 in the first stage and it leads the Saxo Bank by a total of 31” thanks to the efforts of Contador, Kloden and Leipheimer. Third in this collective test is Garmin-Slipstream. 12:40:13 - Riders Approaching Official StartThe peloton is near the site of the official start. Currently there are riders from Milram, Saxo Bank, Garmin, Katusha and Bbox at the head of the bunch. 12:44:34 - No Attacks In First KilometerThe official start time was at 12.42pm. There are 180 riders in the race. There have been no early attacks in the second stage. 12:46:05 - Details Of La Turbie ClimbThe peloton is on the first ascent of the day, the 8.6km long La Turbie (which has an average gradient of 4.3 per cent). The pace is steady but the riders are still bunched together with no one yet being prepared to try and launch an attack. 12:47:46 - Dumoulin AttacksThe first attack of the 2009 Tour de France has come from Samuel Dumoulin, the winner of stage three last year. He is on his own and there doesn't appear to be any interest from other riders in trying to join him with his sortie. 12:48:46 - Wegmann In PursuitMilram's Fabian Wegmann is now in pursuit of Dumoulin who is 30" ahead of the peloton at the 2.5km mark. The next to try and chase the initial attacker is Amets Txurruka. 12:50:16 - Plenty Of Others In PursuitThe action has sparked up now and there are a number of riders attempting to bridge the gap to Dumoulin who is 15" ahead of Wegmann and Txurruka and 20" ahead of Nocentini and 25" ahead of the peloton. 12:51:09 - Dumoulin 5km From SummitDumoulin (COF) is still on his own at the front of the stage. He is 5km from the top of La Turbie. He is 10" ahead of Wegmann (MRM), Txurruka (EUS) and Nocentini (ALM). 12:52:19 - Four Stage LeadersAt the 4km mark, Dumoulin was caught by Txurruka, Wegmann and Nocentini. 12:52:55 - Gonzalo Ramirez & Anton Joins LeadersDumoulin's quartet has been caught by Eduardo Gonzalo Ramirez of the Agritubel team and Igor Anton of Euskaltel. 12:55:05 - Saxo Bank Lead PelotonThe Saxo Bank team is at the head of the peloton and setting a solid pace. The latest time check for the escapees had them only 20" ahead. 12:55:55 - Igor Anton Insisting...Anton (EUS) and Nocentini (ALM) are the two riders at the head of the escape group at the 6.5km mark. They are being chased down by the peloton and all the escapees look likely to be caught before the summit which is at the 8.5km mark. 12:57:50 - Txurruka & Dumoulin Now...The efforts by Nocentini and Anton amounted to nothing but now Txurruka (EUS) and Dumoulin (COF) are insisting with their escape. They have been caught by Tony Martin (THR) and are less than 1km from the summit of La Turbie. 12:59:30 - Tony Martin Pulls His Foot...At the sprint for the mountains points hotted up, Martin pulled his foot out of the pedal but still had the strength to reach the summit first. 13:00:06 - Martin Virtual Leader Of Mountains ClassificationTony Martin now has six points in the climbing classification. He was the first at the top of La Turbie. The points went to: 13:01:59 - Barredo Goes SoloCarlos Barredo (QSI) has attacked the peloton and is now on his own after the flurry of action near the top of La Turbie. 13:03:21 - Barredo Joined By Four Others Before Capture...Barredo has been reeled in by four chasers and then the peloton is just behind. There is plenty of aggression early today and so far 10km have been raced. 13:04:30 - Four Stage LeadersThere are four riders ahead of the peloton. Jussi Veikkanen (FDJ) is one of them but we await confirmation of the others involved in the move at the 13.5km mark. 13:07:07 - The Four LeadersClement (RAB), Dessel (ALM), Veeikkanen (FDJ) and Auge (COF) are now 30" ahead of the peloton. 13:09:44 - Wegmann In PursuitWegmann (MRM) is now trying to bridge the gap to the leading four. 13:10:09 - Veikkanen Best On GC Of EscapeesOf the five riders on the attack, the best placed overall after the time trial is Jussi Veikkanen (FDJ). He was 51st in stage one, 1'30" behind Cancellara. 13:11:33 - Correction: Clement Best On GC...Contrary to the previous newsflash, the best placed rider in the escape group is Stef Clement of the Rabobank team. He was 46th in the first stage and began the day 1'28" behind Cancellara. (Apologies for this error.) 13:13:17 - Wegmann 25" BehindThe four leaders have a 25" advantage over Wegmann and 35" over the peloton. 13:13:46 - Wegmann CaughtThere are now just four riders ahead of the peloton. Wegmann has conceded and has just been caught by the bunch which is being led by the Saxo Bank team. 13:15:00 - Puncture For Fothen...The rider who wore the white jersey for several days during his Tour debut in 2006, Markus Fothen has just punctured a front tire. He has had a quick change from his Milram team's mechanic and is now in pursuit of the fast-moving peloton. 13:16:12 - Leaders Approaching Site Of Intermediate SprintClement (RAB), Veikkanen (FDJ), Dessel (ALM) and Auge (COF) are now on the streets of Nice. They are 40" ahead of the peloton and are about to contest the sprint for points at the first intermediate prime. 13:17:53 - Auge A Regular Early Attacker...It's common to see the name Stephane Auge in the list of escapees in the first week of the Tour. He was part of the eight-man move that attacked at the 4km mark of the opening stage of last year's race. He is racing along with compatriot (and former stage winner) Dessel, Clement and Veikkanen in the escape that began at the 13.5km mark. 13:21:33 - Results Of Sprint In Nice (27km)The points for the first intermediate sprint were won by: 13:22:36 - Peloton 1'25" Behind...At the site of the intermediate sprint (in Nice at the 27km mark), the peloton's deficit to the leading four is 1'25". 13:23:12 - Watch The Lead GrowFabian Cancellara is near the head of the peloton and mixing drinks from one bidon to the next in what looked like a gesture to suggest: 'Okay fellas, let's allow the escapees to go... it's time to cool off the pace a little.' At the 27km mark, the bunch was 1'25" behind and by 28km it was at 1'45". The opportunists are now being given the chance to build their advantage. 13:25:43 - Lead Over Two MinutesAt the 29.5km mark, the peloton is 2'05" behind Clement (RAB), Veikkanen (FDJ), Dessel (ALM) and Auge (COF). 13:26:27 - Peloton Behind By 3'00"The Saxo Bank team is in control of the peloton that is now behind the four escapees by three minutes. 13:33:19 - Recapping How The Escape Formed...The first truly successful escape of the day was instigated by Jussi Veikkanen (FDJ) at the 13.5km mark. He was joined by Stef Clement (RAB), Stephane Auge (COF) and Cyril Dessel (ALM) shortly afterwards. They swapped off consistently and built their lead. Wegmann tried to chase them down but conceded at the 20km mark. 13:36:46 - Dessel The Only Former Stage Winner...Of the four men in the lead of the second stage, the only rider to have previously won a stage of the Tour de France is Cyril Dessel. The AG2R rider won the 15 stage of the 2008 edition in Jausiers. 13:40:28 - 41km Raced By PelotonAt the 41km mark, the peloton's deficit to the four leaders is 3'10". 13:43:01 - Average Speed For First HourThe average speed for the first hour of racing today is 43.9km/h. 13:43:29 - Trouble For ClementStef Clement has dropped his chain at the front of the stage. One of his escape companions, Auge (COF), tried to pull him along as he fixed the problem but the Dutchman eventually had to step off his bike to resolve the situation. 13:46:18 - Clement Rejoins Lead GroupClement has quickly caught back up with his escape companions and there are four men in the lead of the stage again. Their advantage over the peloton is 3'00". 13:47:30 - Crash In PelotonThere has been a fall in the peloton. The rider involved is from the Quickstep team. It's Jurgen van de Waelle who is being treated by the race's medical staff. 13:48:47 - Van de Waelle Back On The Bike...After his crash, van de Waelle has been given a new bike from his Quickstep team and he's now back racing again. 13:49:43 - Clement Working The MostOf the four riders in the lead, the one who is spending the most time at the front is Stef Clement. France Television has calculated that he has been in the wind 30 per cent of the time, then Dessel 23 per cent; Veikkanen 22 per cent and Auge 20 per cent. 13:51:53 - Clement Leading To Second SummitThe leading four are about to contest the sprint for points on the second climb. The Dutchman, Clement began the attack but now Veikkanen has taken the three points for first place. 13:53:37 - Results Of Second ClimbThe points for the cote de Roquefort-les-Pins (a category-three rise at the 49.5km mark) were won by: 13:55:17 - Peloton At 3'35"Numerous riders in the peloton have recently answered the call of nature. This has enabled the four escapees to build their advantage. The bunch is now 3'35" behind Clement's group. 13:56:18 - Clement A Winner In June...Stef Clement, who is the virtual leader of the Tour de France (after starting the stage in 46th place, 1'28" behind Cancellara) was the winner of the final stage of the Dauphine Libere stage race in June. He beat Garmin-Slipstream rider Tim Duggan in a two-man sprint in Grenoble. 13:58:40 - Advantage Grows To Four MinutesAs the peloton reaches the 50km mark, it is 4'00" behind Clement, Veikkanen, Auge and Dessel. 13:59:27 - Veikkanen Still Chasing A Win This Year...Jussi Veikkanen is the rider who instigated the escape today. He has had a good season so far, his fifth with the FDJ team, but is still shy of a win. He was third in a stage of the Tour Mediterranean and finished second overall (behind Luis Leon Sanchez). 14:08:22 - Comments From AG2R's Lavenu"It's always good to have a rider in an escape group," said the directeur sportif of the AG2R team when contacted by LeTour.fr recently. His representative in the move today is Cyril Dessel. "Even if there's only four riders, it could still prove worthwhile. Remember what happened in Nantes last year at the end of stage three? There were only four riders that day and Dumoulin got a stage win (and Roman Feillu the yellow jersey). 14:16:30 - LeTour.fr's Survey For Today...The official site of the Tour de France is conducting a survey during each stage of the race this year. Today's question relates to the escape. Be sure to visit LeTour.fr to offer your thoughts on the following query: 14:21:44 - Frank Schleck In Crash!There has been a crash involving Igor Anton (EUS) and Frank Schleck (SAX), amongst others. They are all standing again but they are losing time to the peloton. 14:25:12 - Schleck Racing AgainFrank Schleck is back on his bike and is racing to rejoin the peloton. 14:25:43 - The Crash Was At The 67km MarkThe crash involving Anton (EUS) and Schleck (SAX) was at the 68km mark. They are both back on their bikes and about to rejoin the peloton. 14:27:18 - Saxo Bank Still Leading PelotonAs one of its leaders (Frank Schleck) chases to rejoin the bunch after crashing, there are still a number of Saxo Bank riders at the head of the peloton. None of Schleck's team-mates dropped back to help him with his pursuit after the accident at the 67km mark. 14:30:11 - Not Fond Memories Of Fayence For ContadorThe second intermediate sprint of stage two is in Fayence at the 91.5km _ mark. This is where Alberto Contador ran out of energy while in the _ lead of Paris-Nice in March this year. He had been aggressive _ throughout the seventh stage that concluded in Fayence, following attacks by _ compatriot and friend Luis Leon Sanchez but in the final four _ kilometers Contador suffered a spectacular collapse and lost the yellow jersey to the Caisse d'Epargne rider who won the stage. 14:34:21 - Leaders Near Third ClimbClement, Dessel, Veikkanen and Auge are near the third climb of the stage. The cat-4 ascent at Tournon is 4.2km long with an average gradient of 3.6 per cent. The top is at the 81.5km mark. 14:38:19 - New Bike For SchleckFrank Schleck had rejoined the peloton after his crash but he's just stopped to retrieve his bike after having ridden a spare one since the accident at the 67km mark. 14:42:58 - Veikkanen Takes Three More PointsVeikkanen is now equal with Tony Martin with his tally of points in the climbing classification after having won both the second and third climbs of the day. The result of the climb at the 81.5km mark is: 14:45:09 - Average Speed For Second HourThe average speed for the second hour is 36.4km/h. The average for the first two hours combined is 40.6km/h. 14:45:38 - Peloton 5'15" Behind FourThe bunch is now 5'15" behind the four escapees. This is the maximum gain of Clement's group so far today. The Dutchman is the virtual leader of the Tour after starting the stage 1'28" behind Cancellara. 14:47:44 - Cancellara Retreats From Front...The Saxobank team continues to lead the peloton but the man in the yellow jersey who has been hovering around fifth or sixth place all day has retreated to the middle of the peloton. Exactly why, we cannot be sure but his team-mates don't appear too stressed. 14:55:23 - Leaders Take More Points...At the intermediate sprint in Fayence (91.5km) the points were won by: 14:57:40 - Saddle Adjustment For Cancellara...The reason Cancellara returned to the team car is to have his seat height adjusted by the mechanic. He is now riding back to the peloton and we can expect to see the yellow jersey up front with his colleagues again soon... 14:59:06 - Comments From Columbia-Highroad...LeTour.fr recently contacted the directeur sportif of the Columbia-Highroad team, Allan Peiper, to ask his opinion on the stage. "Oh, there's still 100km to go, so we're not going to start chasing these guys yet," said the man calling the shots for Mark Cavendish's team. "It's a long way yet and Saxobank is the team with the responsibility at the moment. I don't think they'll let the escape get much more than five minutes; they can realistically keep the yellow jersey all the way to the Pyrenees so they've got a reason to work." 15:08:06 - Advantage Drops To 5'05"The maximum gain of the escape so far was 5'25". This has been reduced to 5'05" recently. It's still Saxobank at the head of the bunch and still Clement, the virtual leader, who is doing the lion's share of the work in the leading quartet. 15:15:02 - A Spanish Winner In Draguignan Nine Years Ago...The leaders are near the site of the feedzone in Garron (at the 109km mark). They are 4'55" ahead of the peloton. This is not far from Draguignan which hosted the 13th stage of the Tour de France back in 2000 when Jose Vicente Garcia Acosta earned a stage win for the Banesto team. He beat Nicolas Jalabert to the line by 25" in that stage nine years ago. 15:26:45 - Peloton in The FeedzoneThe bunch has arrived in Garron and the riders are now collecting their feedbags. 15:31:30 - Veikkanen The Only Finnish Rider In The Race...The rider who currently shares the lead in the climbing classification is Jussi Veikkanen. He is a former mountain bike rider who is making his Tour debut this year with the FDJ team. He is the only rider from Finland in the race this year... but technically there is another one. Veikkanen was the Finnish champion last year but there's another rider who was born in Finland in the peloton: Charlie Wegelius, registered as a Brit, was actually born in Espoo, Finland. 15:44:03 - Clement Continues To Push The PaceOf the four riders who have been in the lead since the 14km mark - Clement, Dessel, Auge and Veikkanen - the one who is doing the most work is the current virtual leader: Stef Clement of the Rabobank team. He has been on the front of the leading quartet 30 per cent of the time. 15:46:57 - Average Speed For Third HourThe average speed for the third hour is 39.5km/h. The average for the first three hours combined is 40.3km/h. 15:47:31 - Advantage Drops To 4'35"The peloton is at the 123km mark and it is slowly, but surely closing in on the leading four. The maximum gain for Clement, Auge, Dessel and Veikkanen was 5'25", that was at the site of the intermediate sprint in Fayance (91.5km). The advantage has dwindled to 4'35". 15:52:09 - Points For Fourth ClimbThe polka-dot jersey will be awarded to the only Finnish rider in the race at the end of the stage. He has won the final three climbs today, giving him a total tally of nine points. The results of the climb col de l'Ange (at the 129km mark) were: 15:55:56 - Crash In Peloton!There is a crash in the peloton claiming a number of casualties. 15:58:09 - Riders Involved Include...The riders in the recent crash include Angelo Furlan (LAM), Gerald Ciolek (MRM), Hayden Roulston (CTT)... it seems that there are no serious injuries as most riders are now back on their bikes and racing again. 15:59:17 - All Fallen Riders Racing AgainDavid Moncoutie (COF) was also involved in the recent crash but they are all back on their bikes and racing again. 16:02:06 - Leaders 1km From Third SprintClement and co are about to contest the third intermediate sprint of the stage. This is in Logues at the 138km mark. 16:03:53 - Result Of Third SprintThe points for the third intermediate sprint were won by: 16:06:06 - Columbia Rider Moving Forward...The Saxobank boys have been on the front of the peloton since the escape formed today. But now they can expect to start receiving some support from the teams of the sprint specialists. There is a Columbia rider now hovering near the head of the pack as the deficit to the leaders is still relatively high: 4'45" as they reached the site of the third intermediate sprint (at the 138km mark). 16:10:49 - Lead Drops To Four Minutes...Now is the time for the sprint teams to start collaborating with the chasing duties. With a Columbia rider now helping Saxo Bank out, the advantage of the four escapees has dropped to four minutes. 16:17:48 - Columbia On The FrontBernhard Eisel and another Columbia rider are now on the front of the peloton. The advantage of Clement and co has dropped quickly since Cavendish's colleagues arrived at the head of the pack. At the 148km mark, it's already down to 3'15"...! 16:22:22 - First Polka-Dot Jersey For Finland...One thing that has been achieved by the escape today is that Jussi Veikkanen has taken the lead in the climbing classification. He has amassed nine points by leading over the second, third and fourth climbs... making him the first Finnish rider to wear the polka-dot jersey in the Tour de France. All he has to do is reach the finish which is now less than 30km away. 16:33:19 - Lead Down To Two MinutesWith the leaders inside the final 30km, their advantage has dropped to just two minutes. The maximum gain was 5'25" at the site of the second intermediate sprint in Fayence (95km from the finish). 16:34:25 - Columbia & Cervelo In Charge...There are now also a few riders from the Cervelo TestTeam moving to the head of the bunch to assist with the chasing duties. They have options should the stage conclude with a sprint: either Thor Hushovd or Heinrich Haussler could challenge the other favorite for the day, Mark Cavendish of the Columbia team which has been working at the front since the 40km to go mark. 16:38:27 - 1'20" With 23km To Go...The peloton is now less than 23km from the finish. It is 1'20" behind Clement, Dessel, Auge and Veikkanen. Clement is no longer the virtual leader of the Tour de France. If the stage was to finish now, Cancellara would still be in the yellow jersey. 16:41:11 - Here Comes Katusha...Serguei Ivanov has just arrived at the front of the peloton along with reinforcements from his Katusha team. They appear interested in trying to assist with the chasing duties but at the current rate it's almost destiny that the four escapees will be cause before the finish. Clement's quartet is now just 1'10" ahead of the peloton. 16:44:44 - Columbia Doing 70 Percent Of The Work...In the last 10 minutes, riders from the Columbia team have been at the front of the peloton for 71 percent of the time. The other team that's contributing to the chase is Cervelo. 16:46:06 - Barredo PuncturesAt the peloton arrives at the 20km to go banner, Carlos Barredo has punctured his rear tire. 16:46:42 - Klier In Crash...Andreas Klier of the Cervelo team has crashed with 17km to go. He is standing again but needs attention from his team mechanic. 16:50:10 - Lanterne Rouge Also In Crash...The Belorussian champion Yauheni Hutarovich of the FDJ team was also involved in the crash that caught Klier (CTT). The FDJ rider was last in the time trial yesterday and now he's got a fair chase ahead of him if he is to avoid being last again today. 16:52:14 - Capture ImminentClement, Auge, Dessel and Veikkanen have been at the front of affairs since the 14km mark. They are now 14km from the finish and their lead has dropped to 35". On such a hot day, it's unlikely we'll see any of the escapees attack each other with a last-minute bid to keep their move alive all the way to Brignoles. 16:55:38 - 15" For Four...The peloton now has Clement's quartet in its sights. The teams of the sprinters are lining up at the head of the bunch but it's Columbia that appears to be in control. With the advantage of the escapees down to 15" we have seen an attack from Ignatiev from the Katusha team. The Russian points race gold medalist from the Athens Olympics is making his Tour debut this year. 17:00:23 - Ignatiev Into The LeadThe attack by Igniatev has yielded immediate rewards he has opened up a good lead on the peloton after flying past the four other escapees. There are now less than 10km to go. 17:01:21 - Ignatiev Leads By 12"With 10km to go, Ignatiev's advantage is up to 12". The Russian is no stranger to suffering; he took three laps out of most of the field on his way to winning the gold medal in the points race at the Athens Olympics. 17:02:34 - Clement's Quartet CaughtThe four escapees were caught by the bunch 10km from the finish of the stage. 17:03:07 - Clement The Most Aggressive...Stef Clement will ride tomorrow's stage with a red 'dossard'... as he has just been voted the most aggressive rider today. 17:05:00 - 2002 World Champion Leads By 12"The winner of the junior time trial world championship in 2002 was Mikhail Ignatiev (who also won three rainbow jerseys in track events that year). He is now making a bid for a Tour de France stage win in his debut in much the same style as another famous Russian pursuiter - Viatcheslav Ekimov - used to win a stage early in his career. 17:08:11 - Ignatiev's Bid OverThe peloton has reeled in the move by Mikhail Ignatiev 4km from the finish. 17:08:40 - Milram Taking ControlThe Milram team now has four riders at the head of the peloton which is less than 3km from the line. Tucked in behind are riders from Columbia, Cervelo, Liquigas... 17:09:29 - 2km To GoTime to pick your favorite sprinter. They're all lining up: Cavendish, Bennati, Hushovd, Haussler, van Hummel, Napolitano, Dean... but Columbia is in charge under the 1km to go sign. 17:11:40 - Crash On Final Turn...While Cavendish looks destined to win the stage, we can report that there's been a fall on the final turn... 17:12:22 - Cavendish Wins Again!Line him up, watch him go! Mark Cavendish is the king of the sprint. He had to sprint from about 400m out but he held off all other contenders to claim his fifth stage win in the Tour de France. 18:00:27 - The Top Five In Stage TwoCavendish seems unbeatable in the sprints. He held off all challengers and claimed stage win number five in his Tour career. The top five in stage two is: |
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