Back to 2012 Tour de France | Stage map and profile | Photos from Stage 2

Stage 2, Monday, July 2: Visé - Tournai, 207.5 km

Rated climb: Km 82.5: Côte de la Citadelle de Namur, 2.1 km @ 4.5% - Category 4

The Race: With about 15 kilometers to go, the last of the day's break was rolled up and the sprinters' team started to make things hot. Lotto-Belisol was especially energetic, hoping for something good from André Greipel. Trying to keep things strung out, and therefore safer, Cadel Evans' BMC squad thrashed themselves at the front as well. In the end it came down to a drag race between Mark Cavendish and André Greipel, which Cavendish won.

GC leader Fabian Cancellara finished in the pack and remains in yellow.

Results:

1. Mark Cavendish (Sky) 4hr 56min 59sec. 41.9km/hr
2. André Greipel (Lotto-Belisol) s.t.
3. Matthew Harley Goss (Orica-GreenEdge) s.t.
4. Tom Veelers (Argos-Shimano)
5. Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre) s.t.
6. Peter Sagan (Liquigas) s.t.
7. Yauheni Hutarovich (FDJ-Big Mat) s.t.
8. Juan José Haedo (Saxo-Tinkoff) s.t.
9. Mark Renshaw (Rabobank) s.t.
10. Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Sharp) s.t.
11. José Joaquin Rojas (Movistar) s.t.
12. Sébastien Hinault (Ag2r) s.t.
13. Peter Velits (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) s.t.
14. Kenny Robert Van Hummel (Vacansoleil) s.t.
15. Yukiya Arashiro (Europcar) s.t.
16. Oscar Freire (Katusha) s.t.
17. Borut Bozic (Astana) s.t.
18. Bernhard Eisel (Sky) s.t.
19. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky) s.t.
20. Koen De Kort (Argos-Shimano) s.t.
21. Andrey Kashechkin (Astana) s.t.
22. Maarten Tjallingii (Rabobank) s.t.
23. Brett Lancaster (Orica-GreenEdge) s.t.
24. Ruben Perez (Euskaltel) s.t.
25. Egoi Martinez (Euskaltel) s.t.
26. Gregory Henderson (Lotto-Belisol) s.t.
27. Davide Malacarne (Europcar) s.t.
28. Marco Marcato (Vacansoleil) s.t.
29. Bauke Mollema (Rabobank) s.t.
30. Steven Kruijswijk (Rabobank) s.t.
31. Danilo Hondo (Lampre) s.t.
32. Maarten Wynants (Rabobank) s.t.
33. Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel) s.t.
34. Robert Gesink (Rabobank) s.t.
35. Julien Fouchard (Cofidis) s.t.
36. Jurgen van den Broeck (Lotto-Belisol) s.t.
37. Jérôme Coppel (Saur-Sojasun) s.t.
38. Jean Marc Marino (Saur-Sojasun) s.t.
39. Christopher Froome (Sky) s.t.
40. Bram Tankink (Rabobank) s.t.
41. Tejay Van Garderen (BMC) s.t.
42. Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) s.t.
43. Rui Alberto Faria da Costa (Movistar) s.t.
44. Anthony Delaplace (Saur-Sojasun) s.t.
45. Fabian Cancellara (Radio Shack-Nissan) s.t.
46. Kanstantsin Sivtsov (Sky) s.t.
47. Matthieu Ladagnous (FDJ-Big Mat) s.t.
48. Janez Brajkovic (Astana) s.t.
49. Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp) s.t.
50. Alessandro Vanotti (Liquigas) s.t.

General Classification: Distance covered so far: 405.5 km at an average speed of 40.381 km/hr

1. Fabian Cancellara (Radio Shack-Nissan) 10hr 2min 31sec
2. Bradley Wiggins (Sky) @ 7sec
3. Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) s.t.
4. Tejay Van Garderen (BMC) @ 10sec
5. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky) @ 11sec
6. Denis Menchov (Katusha) @ 13sec
7. Philippe Gilbert (BMC) s.t.
8. Cadel Evans (BMC) @ 17sec
9. Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) @ 18sec
10. Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp) s.t.
11. Andréas Klöden (Radio Shack-Nissan) @ 19sec
12. Bauke Mollema (Radi Shack-Nissan) @ 21sec
13. Maxime Monfort (Radio Shack-Nissan) @ 22sec
14. Janez Brajkovic (Astana) s.t.
15. Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Sharp) s.t.
16. Rein Taaramae (Cofidis) s.t.
17. Jean-Christophe Peraud (Ag2r) @ 23sec
18. Marco Marcato (Vacansoleil) s.t.
19. VLadimir Gusev (Katusha) @ 24sec
20. Haimar Zubeldia (Radio Shack-Nissan) s.t.
21. Wouter Poels (Vacansoleil) s.t.
22. Peter Sagen (Liquigas) s.t.
23. Daniel Martin (Garmin-Sharp) s.t.
24. Nicholas Roche (Ag2r) @ 25sec
25. Michael Rogers (Sky) s.t.
26. Pieter Weening (Orica-GreenEdge) s.t.
27. Kanstantsin Sivtsov (Sky) s.t.
28. Robert Gesink (Rabobank) @ 26sec
29. Koen De Kort (Argos-Shimano) @ 27sec
30. Jurgen van den Broeck (Lotto-Belisol) @ 28sec
31. Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge) @ 29sec
32. Dries Devenyns (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) s.t.
33. Ivan Basso (Liquigas) s.t.
34. Thomas Danielson (Garmin-Sharp) @ 31sec
35. Arthur Vichot (FDJ-Big Mat) @ 34sec
36. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) @ 35sec
37. Eduard Vorganov (Katusha) s.t.
38. Mikel Astarloza (Euskaltel) @ 37sec
39. Dominik Nerz (Liquigas) s.t.
40. Michele Scarponi (Lampre) s.t.
41. Lieuwe Westra (Vacansoleil) s.t.
42. Frank Schleck (Radio Shack-Nissan) @ 38sec
43. Andriy Grivko (Astana) s.t.
44. Matthieu Ladagnous (FDJ-Big Mat) s.t.
45. Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel) @ 40sec
46. Robert kiserlovski (Astana) @ 42sec
47. Rui Alderto Faria da Costa (Movistar) s.t.
48. Nick Nuyens (Saxo-Tinkoff) @ 43sec
49. Pierre Rolland (Europcar) @ 45sec
50. Levi Leiphiemer (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) s.t.

Climber:

1. Michael Morkov (Saxo-Tinkoff): 4 points
2. Peter Sagen (Liquigas): 1
3. Pablo Urtasun (Euskaltel): 1

Points:

1. Peter Sagen (Liquigas): 78 points
2. Mark Cavendish (Sky): 63
3. Fabian Cancellara (Radio Shack-Nissan): 55
4. Matthew Harley Goss (Orica-GreenEdge): 52
5. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky): 42

Young Rider:

1. Tejay Van Garderen (BMC) 10hr 2min 41sec
2. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky) @ 1sec
3. Rein Taaramae (Cofidis) @ 12sec
4. Wouter Poels (Vacansoleil) @ 14sec
5. Peter Sagen (Liquigas) s.t.

Team Classification:

1. Sky: 30hr 8min 7sec
2. Radio Shack-Nissan @ 4sec
3. BMC @ 6sec
4. Omega Pharma-Quick Step) @ 13sec
5. Garmin-Sharp @ 23sec

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Stage map and profile

Stage 2 map

Stage 2 profile

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Photos from Stage 2:

Fabian Cancellara rides to the start

George Hincapie is in his 17th consecutive tour, beating Joop Zoetemelk's record of 16.

Alessandro Petacchi managed 5th today.

Peter Sagen

Mark Cavendish

André Greipel

Big crowd at the start

Here comes the publicity caravan

The lion is cute, but I want the truck that looks like a giant fly.

No flies yet...

PMU

Ibis hotels

Carrefour stores.

I'll admit the duck is kind of cute, if a bit lame... So, no giant flies this year.

Lotto-Belisol did a lot of work keeping the speed high in the final kilometers.

The final straightaway featured a drag race between Greipel and Cavendish.

Mark Cavendish in the podium with Bernard Hinault and the King of the Belgians.

Tejay Van Garderen remains the best young rider.

Another day in yellow for Cancellara. Here he gets help from an expert on the subject of yellow jerseys.

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