Lotto's Andre Greipel won the second stage of the SterZLMToer in Holland this afternoon as Mark Cavendish took both the yellow and green jerseys.
A 167km stage starting and finishing in Schimmert, saw 155 riders set off.
Four riders in Bart van Haaren (KOG), Nathan Haas (GRM), Jim van den Berg (KOG) en Nikolas Maes (OPQ) escaped.
Van Haaren took the first points of the day at the sprint at Bemelerberg and the second at Loorberg as they opened up a gap of three minutes on Bobbie Traksel (LAN) and 4.40 on peloton containing yesterday's race winner Marcel Kittell and third placed Mark Cavendish.
Haas then took over, taking the third sprint as their lead with 80kms gone dropped to 2.50 on a day where the pace meant that the riders were 25 minutes behind schedule.
After passing through the feed station, the leaders went through the village of Eys, in the municipality of Gulpen-Wittem, Limburg, with a 2.30 lead.
Gijs van Hoecke (TSV) joined the quartet up front as Sander Oostlander (CJP) and Laurens de Vreese (TSV0 tried to get up to them as they approached the 20kms to go mark.
Van den Berg was caught by the peloton as Team Sky brought Mark Cavendish up to the front and with four kilometres to go, the escapers day at the front was over, setting the race up for the bunch sprint that many of the teams wanted.
Andre Greipel was the man who was victorious beating Mark Cavendish and Mark Renshaw.
Stage 3 tomorrow is from Hotel Verviers to La Gileppe (Jalhay) in Belgium and is 189kms long.