Criterium du Dauphiné Stage 2: Germany's John Degenkolb wins in Lyon

John Degenkolb of HTC-Highroad this afternon took Stage 2 of the 2011 Criterium du Dauphiné, the 22-year-old German first year professional proving the strongest rider at the finale on the climb of the Côte de la Croix-Rousse in Lyon. Samuel Dumoulin of Cofidis was second and AG2R's Sebastien Hinault third.

Astana's Alexander Vinokourov retains the overall lead, with Jurgen Van Den Broeck 11 seconds behind in second place. Bradley Wiggins of Team Sky lies third and Cadel Evans fourth, respectively 11 and 13 seconds down on the Kazakh, ahead of tomorrow's individual time trial in Grenoble.

With a little over 20km to go in today's stage, the peloton had split in two with the pace of chasing down a three-man break causing the riders being strung out as they negotiated twisting roads and street furniture on the outskirts of Lyon and strong winds combining to snap the elastic holding the bunch together.

With overall leader Vinokourov and several of his Astana colleagues in the front group, they were joined by AG2R and Movistar in putting down the hammer and swept up the day’s three escapees – Jürgen Van de Walle of Omega Pharma Lotto, Maarten Tjallingii from Rabobank and Leopard Trek’s Brice Feillu - 15km from the finish.

That trio had got away 10km into today’s 179km stage from Voiron, which featured four Category 4 climbs, the last of those being right at the Croix-Rousse, featuring 1.4 kilometres of climbing at an average gradient of 4.8 per cent.

After that split in the peloton, Team Sky, whose Edvald Boasson Hagen suffered a mechanical problem inside the closing ten kilometres, and BMC, including Cadel Evans who today sported the green points jersey, chased hard and managed to get back to the lead group.

However, with tomorrow featuring a Tour de France rehearsal in the shape of an individual time trial in Grenoble on the same roads that will be used next month in the Tour de France, it remains to be seen how much the pursuit sapped the energy from the likes of Bradley Wiggins and Geraint Thomas, not to mention Evans.

Approaching the foot of the Côte de la Croix-Rousse, the peloton had regrouped, but a number of riders saw their chances scuppered as they went the wrong way at the roundabout they had to negotiate before hitting the climb, while yesterday's stage winner, Jurgen Van Den Broeck of Omega Pharma-Lotto, was brought down in a crash.

As yesterday, it was Thomas Voeckler of Europcar who launched an attack as the race headed through the hairpin bends on the ascent, but again it was not to be his day, the Frenchman finishing sixth as the strong Degenkolb, surely a star of the future, waited till late on to make his decisive move.

Criterium du Dauphiné Stage 2 Result 
1  DEGENKOLB John          HTC-HIGHROAD        4h 02' 39"
2  DUMOULIN Samuel         COFIDIS              + 00' 00"
3  HINAULT Sébastien       AG2R LA MONDIALE     + 00' 00"
4  MARTENS Paul            RABOBANK             + 00' 00"
5  RODRIGUEZ Joaquim       KATUSHA              + 00' 00"
6  VOECKLER Thomas         EUROPCAR             + 00' 00"
7  VANENDERT Jelle         OMEGA PHARMA-LOTTO   + 00' 00"
8  BOLE Grega              LAMPRE-ISD           + 00' 00"
9  ROCHE Nicolas           AG2R LA MONDIALE     + 00' 00"
10 WEGMANN Fabian          LEOPARD TREK         + 00' 00"
11 RUIJGH Rob              VACANSOLEIL-DCM      + 00' 00"
12 LEQUATRE Geoffroy       RADIOSHACK           + 00' 00"
13 WIGGINS Bradley         SKY PROCYCLING       + 00' 00"
14 VINOKOUROV Alexandre    ASTANA               + 00' 00"
15 KOREN Kristjan          LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE  + 00' 06"
16 COPPEL Jérôme           SAUR-SOJASUN         + 00' 06"
17 COSTA Rui               MOVISTAR             + 00' 06"
18 MONCOUTIE David         COFIDIS              + 00' 06"
19 HERMANS Ben             RADIOSHACK           + 00' 06"
20 ZAUGG Oliver            LEOPARD TREK         + 00' 06"

Criterium du Dauphiné Overall Standings after Stage 2 
1  VINOKOUROV Alexandre    ASTANA              7h 45' 48"
2  VAN DEN BROECK Jurgen   OMEGA PHARMA-LOTTO   + 00' 11"
3  WIGGINS Bradley         SKY PROCYCLING       + 00' 11"
4  EVANS Cadel             BMC RACING           + 00' 13"
5  ROCHE Nicolas           AG2R LA MONDIALE     + 00' 17"
6  RODRIGUEZ Joaquim       KATUSHA              + 00' 23"
7  BRAJKOVIC Janez         RADIOSHACK           + 00' 26"
8  VOECKLER Thomas         EUROPCAR             + 00' 27"
9  RUIJGH Rob	           VACANSOLEIL-DCM	+ 00' 29"
10 COSTA Rui	           MOVISTAR      	+ 00' 34"