Moreno Hofland of Belkin won the second stage of the 72nd Paris-Nice race.
Twenty seven riders were warned by race organisers A.S.O. after they failed to sign in for the start of a 205km stage from Rambouillet to Saint-Georges-sur-Baulche in Auxerre.
When the racing did start, Latvian Aleksejs Saramotins of the IAM Cycling team and Frenchman Anthony Delaplace of the Bretagne Seche Enviroment team broke after 2.5 kilometres.
After thirty one kilometres, the duo had taken an 11.30 lead on a day when the average speed for the first hour was 43km/h.
Saramotins punctured but was straight back in the saddle with Delaplace to take second place in the first intermediate sprint of the day at Malesherbes after 61.5kms.
Gianni Meersman of Omega Pharma Quick Step took the final point for the sprint, some 9.05 behind the front two, to put him on the same points as race leader Nacer Bouhanni.
The average speed for the second hour dropped to 39.3km/h as Delaplace and Saramotins' lead dropped to 740 with 96kms gone.
An hour later and the average speed was down for the third hour to 38.9km/h and also down was the two leader's lead to 5.50 after 127kms.
Inside the final fifty kilometres and the gap was 5.55 as race leader Nacer Bouhanni's FDJ team took their turn on the front of the peloton which included Andy Schleck who had been fined 200 euros for going 'off course' in the opening stage
The only climb of the day was the category three Cote de la Ferte Loupiere after 160kms and Saramotins took the maximum points ahead of Delaplace with Christoph Laborie of the Bretagne Seche Enviroment team, adding to his lead in the King Of The Mointains competition when he took the final point.
Schleck was dropped by the peloton asd they moved to within three minutes of Delaplace and Saramotins with twenty one kilometres remaining.
The second sprint came a kilometre after the riders arrived in Saint-Georges-sur-Baulche for the first time and it was Saramotins who took the points and the bell lap of 18.2kms started with Delaplace second and Meersman taking the final point.
Edvald Boasson-Hagen, Tyler Farrer, Lars Boom and Gianni Meersman were amongst those who crashed with 10.5kms left as the gap went down to fifty seconds.
Meersman followed his team car back to the peloton whilst at the front, Delaplace dropped back towards the peloton, leaving Saramotins with a twenty second lead.
Saramotins, who had been out in front for close to two hundred kilometres, was finally reined in with three kilometres to go and Giant Shimano moved their riders to the front.
There was a crash with a Katusha rider in the final bend but Moreno Hofland of Belkin and Degenkolb went for it and Hofland won in 4.53.46 on the right beating Degenkolb and Nacer Bouhanni, who keeps his leader's jersey. They were followed home by Kristoff , Hushovd,. Coquard,Fonseca, Gallopin, Keukeleire and Rojas.
Hofland, who is now third in the General Classification said: It was a real surprise to win. At 1k to go, we were out for position but I went after John Degenkolb and beat him, Last couple of weeks are going good for me and I hope to keep my form for as long as possible."
Bouhanni leads the race by two seconds from John Degenkolb, four seconds from Moreno Hofland and thirteen seconds from Team Sky's Geraint Thomas.