VILLARS-LES-DOMBES, France (AFP) — Frenchman Nacer Bouhanni, riding for Cofidis, turned in an explosive burst of power as he sprinted to victory in the second stage of the Criterium du Dauphine on Monday following a 173-kilometer ride from Le Bourget-du-Lac to Villars-les-Dombes.
Twenty-five-year-old Peter Kennaugh, who won the opening stage, retains the leader’s jersey after finishing with the pack.
Another Frenchman, Samuel Dumoulin, was second with Italian Sacha Modolo, a winner of two stages on the recent Giro d’Italia, claiming the final place on the podium.
“I’m really happy for the Cofidis team, it was a great win and I’m very happy,” said Bouhanni.
“The conditions were ideal, I really counted on my teammates who did a great job and I’m really super happy.”
Kennaugh, who rides for the Sky team led by former Tour de France champion Chris Froome, maintains a two-second lead in the overall standings over Modolo and Bouhanni on a day suited for a sprint finish.
A three-man escape group formed during the stage, with Frenchmen Arnaud Courteille and Perrig Quemeneur as well as Daniel Teklehaimanot of Eritrea building up a lead of seven minutes before eventually being reeled in by the peloton with 3km to race.
In a bunch sprint for the line, Bouhanni negotiated his way through the pack of riders bidding for victory and sprinted clear for a well-deserved win.
The 24-year-old Bouhanni shot to fame in 2014 when he won three stages on the Giro d’Italia and won the points jersey.
Tuesday’s stage 3 features a team time trial over 24.5km between Roanne and Montagny. The race concludes Sunday.
The post Bouhanni powers to stage 2 win at Dauphine appeared first on VeloNews.com.
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