Today's stage 2 of Paris-Nice, to Orléans, saw the peloton split in two, with a small group a couple minutes up the road and containing enough favorites (like Bradley Wiggins and Levi Leipheimer) to have maybe decided the overall. Tom Boonen won the stage over JJ Rojas and a going-too-early John Degenkolb, thanks in part to some nice work by his Omega Pharma Quick Step mates, who made the final break in numbers. Missing from the break was Tony Martin, who's off to a terrible start, but with Leipheimer there, in position to challenge Wiggins, OPQS are sitting pretty nonetheless. BMC's Tejay Van Garderen is another person of overall interest, having made the split with his buddy Taylor Phinney. Missing were Lampre, Rabobank, and yesterday's winner Gustav Larsson.
2011 Ronde winner Nick Nuyens crashed out of the race, in that he crashed yesterday in the time trial and today he left the race. Just bumps and bruises. Results:
Stage
- Tom Boonen, OPQS
- JJ Rojas, Movistar
- John Degenkolb, 1T4I
Overall:
- Bradley Wiggins, Sky
- Levi Leipheimer, OPQS, at 0.06
- Tom Boonen, OPQS, at 0.07
- Tejay Van Garderen, BMC, at 0.11