MONTARGIS, France: Dutch sprinter Arvid De Kleijn dominated a mass sprint to win stage two of cycling's Paris-Nice on Monday after the peloton took it easy on a sunny flat run south from Thoiry to Montargis.
Once the 29-year-old Tudor Pro rider got ahead on the broad road towards the finish line east of Orleans in central France neither New Zealand's Laurence Pithie in second place nor Dylan Groenewegen in third could get up alongside him.
"That's just great, it's my first World Tour (top level) victory," he said.
But 21-year-old Groupama-FDJ's Pithie took the yellow jersey as the new leader of the race ahead of Sunday's winner Olav Kooij and runner-up Mads Pedersen, with the three all on the same time.
"I never expected to get the yellow jersey here, it's really cool," said Pithie.
Stage two over 179km had been designed in the hope of crosswinds on the open agricultural plains south of Paris but in bright sunshine riders took the time to take in the scenery after the peloton awoke Monday with a whiff of spring in the air.
The third stage is a team time trial over 26.9km on Tuesday with former winner Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel likely to shine as riders are timed individually.
The idea is that teams will deliver Evenepoel and Roglic before splintering as they send their leading contenders up the road near the finish in Auxerre.
Stage 2
1. Arvid de Kleijn (NED/TUD) 4hr 41min 02sec,
2. Laurence Pithie (NZL/GFC) same time,
3. Dylan Groenewegen (NED/JAY) s.t.,
4. Danny van Poppel (NED/BOH) s.t.,
5. Gerben Thijssen (BEL/ICW) s.t.,
6. Sam Bennett (IRL/ACT) s.t.,
7. Dries Van Gestel (BEL/TEN) s.t.,
8. Mads Pedersen (DEN/LTK) s.t.,
9. Pascal Ackermann (GER/IPT) s.t.,
10. Matteo Sobrero (ITA/BOH) s.t.
Overall standings
1. Laurence Pithie (NZL/GFC) 8hr 17min. 20sec,
2. Mads Pedersen (DEN/LTK) same time.
3. Olav Kooij (NED/TJV) s.t.,
4. Matteo Jorgenson (USA/TVL) at 4sec
5. Remco Evenepoel (BEL/SOQ) at 6sec,
6. Egan Bernal (COL/IGD) at 8sec,
8. Mattias Skjelmose (DEN/LTK) s.t.,
9. Kaden Groves (AUS/ADC) at 10sec,
10. Sam Bennett (IRL/ACT) s.t.
--AFP