Ghent, Belgium – A brief look at the second stage of the Tour de France on Monday:
Stage: Took riders along a 104.7-mile trek on rain-drenched roads from Dunkirk, France, to Ghent.
Winner: Belgian rider Gert Steegmans of sprint ace Tom Boonen’s Quickstep team. Boonen finished second.
Yellow jersey: Fabian Cancellara, winner of Saturday’s prologue, retained it despite hurting his left wrist in a fall. Andreas Kloeden, a German rider for the Astana team, stayed second overall, with British cyclist David Millar third.
Quote of the day: “If it’s a gift … it’s the biggest gift I could ever receive” – Steegmans, when asked whether Boonen had slowed up to give him the win.
Next stage: Tuesday’s third stage takes riders on a 147-mile ride from Waregem to Compiegne, northeast of Paris. Once again it favors sprinters like Boonen, Robbie McEwen and Thor Hushovd.
