STEEGMANS BACK ON TOP IN PARIS-NICE

Gert Steegmans Paris Nice stage 2
(Image credit: LUC CLAESSEN)

Gert Steegmans clinched his second stage in a row at Paris-Nice on Tuesday - and came within a whisker of wrenching the lead from Thor Hushovd.

History repeated itself with a vengeance on stage two of Paris-Nice. Belgian Gert Steegmans (Quick Step) won, the weather was appalling, Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole) kept the yellow jersey and the crashes shredded the peloton - all for a second day in a row.

No sooner had Hupond been reeled in - largely thanks to Quick Step?s hard work for Steegmans - than an even more formidable opponent charged off the front. There were gasps of amazement from TV commentators when they realised that the yellow-clad figure hurtling down through the dense mist on the Fut D'Avenas descent towards the finish to Belleville was none other than Hushovd in person.

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PARIS-NICE STAGE TWO

1 Gert Steegmans (Belgium) Quick Step 201km in 5-29-47

2 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Credit Agricole

3 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Cofidis

4 Michael Albasini (Swi) Liquigas all same time

5 Phillippe Gilbert (Bel) Francaise des Jeux at 3sec

6 Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Quick Step

7 Mirco Lorenzetto (Ita) Lampre

8 Enrico Franzoi (Ita) Liquigas

9 Manuele Mori (Ita) Saunier Duval-Scott

10 Vicente Reynes (Spa) High Road

40 David Millar (GBr) Slipstream all same time

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PARIS-NICE: OVERALL

1 Thor Hushovd (Norway) Credit Agricole 7-56-34

2 Gert Steegmans (Bel) Quick Step at 3sec

3 Jerome Pineau (Fra) Bouygues at 23sec

4 Karsten Kroon (Hol) CSC at st

5 Trent Lowe (Aus) Slipstream at 29sec

6 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Cofidis at 30sec

7 David Millar (GB) Slipstream at st

8 Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Quick Step at 32sec

9 Luis Leon Sanchez (Spa) Caisse D?Epargne at 33sec

10 Niki Terpstra (Hol) Milram at 36sec

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WEDNESDAY?S STAGE

Paris-Nice tackles its first serious mountain on Wednesday?s 165 kilometre stage three from Fleurie to Saint-Etienne: the first category Croix du Chaubouret.

Sixteen kilometres long and followed by an 18 kilometre fast descent to the grimy industrial city of Saint-Etienne, the Chaubouret is by no means as tough as the Ventoux on Thursday.

But with two second cat and two third cat climbs preceding it, this short, nervous stage will almost certainly see another major sort-out of the favourites. The stage is expected to finish between 15.57 and 16.25 local time.

PARIS-NICE 2008: STAGE REPORTS

Stage two: Steegmans back on top

Stage one: Steegmans rides the storm

Prologue: Hushovd wins

RELATED LINKS

Paris-Nice photo gallery: new photos added daily

Stage one analysis

Millar goes down but isn't out

Prologue analysis: winners and losers

Big names line up for Paris-Nice and defy UCI

Teams vote to ride Paris-Nice

Paris-Nice preview: does the route suit David Millar?

BLOG: PARIS-NICE

Days two and three

Day one

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Cavendish and Wiggins avoid Paris-Nice and possible UCI ban

Analysis: UCI v ASO. How did it come to this and where do we go next?

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