McEwen sprints to Tour stage win
NAMUR, Belgium -- Australia's Robbie McEwen raced away to win the second stage of the Tour de France, a 197-kilometer ride from Charleroi to Namur.
The final sprint was disrupted by a crash with 200 meters to go which left Jimmy Caspar and Kurt-Asle Aversen on the tarmac and gave Lotto-Domo's McEwen a clear run to the line.
Norwegian Thor Hushovd of Credit Agricole finished second to earn a 12 second overall bonus and claim the overall leader's yellow jersey from Fabian Cancellara.
Frenchman Jean-Patrick Nazon finished while defending champion Lance Armstrong finished safely in the peloton.
Last year, an off-form McEwen was forced to watch compatriot Baden Cooke win the points classification as best sprinter.
"I had an excellent preparation this year and I feel I've got my 2002 legs back," he said.
Frustrated by his performance last year, McEwen closely studied the finishes of most flat stages on this Tour.
"It was my intention a few weeks before the Tour to come and check some of the finishes. I just did not have the time to, but I had a really good look at the book so I knew today you had to start your sprint in the last corner," he said.
After the heavy rain and slippery roads of Sunday's opening stage, the riders could at least enjoy the dry conditions on Monday.
Six-man breakaway
The stage was livened up by a six-man breakaway who managed to gain five minutes on the peloton before being caught shortly before the finish.
Italy's Gian Matteo Fagnini of the Domina Vacanze team was the unluckiest driver of the day, abandoning the race with a suspected collarbone fracture after getting caught up in a small pile-up.
Frederic Bessy and Stefano Casagranda also crashed but were able to continue.
Hushovd, whose main goal is to win the green jersey for the best sprinter, is the first Norwegian ever to wear the yellow jersey in cycling's most famous race.
"When you're a rider, the yellow jersey is the biggest thing you can have on your shoulders. Today I've become a big rider," he said.
"I'd been dreaming of taking the yellow jersey for, I don't know, 15 years. Since the prologue, I realised it was within reach."
