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    LIMOGES, France -- Franco Pellizotti took the bunch by surprise to lead Italy to a hat-trick finish in the 177-kilometer second stage of the Paris-Nice cycle race between Vatan and Limoges on Tuesday. The 29-year-old Liquigas rider broke clear with 100 meters to go to snatch victory from Daniele Bennati and Luca Paolini respectively, and take the race lead. The cunning move took place just as the bunch caught Frenchman Thomas Voeckler and Pellizotti's team-mate Murilo Fischer of Brazil in the final stretch. Pellizotti, a former top 10 Giro d'Italia finisher, took the race leader's yellow jersey from Briton David Millar, who had held it since Sunday's prologue near Paris. Millar lies six seconds behind Pellizotti, in the same time as Bennati. "With Fischer in the break, the Liquigas team did not have to work until the finale, Pellizotti told reporters. "Near the finish, I sensed that Quick Step were very strong and were preparing the sprint for (Tom) Boonen. I found a way to sneak away in the last few hundred meters. I'm very glad to have won." It was a great day for the Liquigas team with Fischer in the lead, along with three others, for most of the stage while third-placed Paolini also rides for the Italian outfit. "The season is going very well for us. I think we've won four races so far," Pellizotti said. "Personally, I badly wanted to do something on this Paris-Nice. Two years ago, I came second on a stage and I really wanted to win one. With the yellow jersey on top of it, the joy is complete", added the Italian. Belgium's Philippe Gilbert, France's Voeckler and Stephane Auge along with Fischer broke clear before the first intermediate sprint of the day at 44 km. They held a maximum lead of six minutes 40 seconds but the gap was gradually cut down as Millar's Saunier Duval outfit and the sprinters' teams organised the chase. While Auge and Gilbert gave up the fight in the final kilometres, Voeckler and Fischer were not caught until 200 meters to go. Wednesday's third stage takes the bunch to Maurs over 215.5 km. |
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Pellizotti celebrates as he crosses the finish line of the Paris-Nice race second stage.
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