Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe won the second stage of the Tour de France, a 186-km mountain ride around Nice, and took the overall leader’s yellow jersey.
Swiss Marc Hirschi took second place with Briton Adam Yates coming home third.
Alaphilippe, who last year wore the coveted jersey for 14 days, kept his cool to prevail in a three-man sprint as the peloton was breathing down their neck.
Dark horse Dani Martinez, of Colombia, lost time after cracking in the last climb of the day shortly after crashing in a descent.
The three New Zealanders in the race all finished down the field with George Bennett the best placed in 41st, 1’16” behind Alaphilippe.
-Reuters
