Mark Cavendish won the second stage of the Tour De France this afternoon.
A gloriously sunny day saw the race leave Vise, a town of 17,000 halfway between Liege and Maastricht on a 207.5km stage to Tournai, one of the oldest cities in Belgium to the west of Brussels.
Saxo Bank's Michael Morkov who holds the King Of The Mountains jersey was in the first break of the day with Europcar's Christope Kern, who became a dad on Thursday and FDJ's Antony Roux.
In the Province of Namur with 129kms to go, their lead was 6.25. At the fourth category Cote de la Citadelle de Namur, the only climb of the day, Michael Morkov took the point watched by massive crowds to keep his polka dot jersey for another day.
The trio went through the feed zone, grabbing their mousets at Temploux and continued down the N93 towards the Province Of Hainaut.
The gap was coming down and it dropped to five minutes as the race went through Marbais.
The day's intermediate sprint came on the N57 in Soignes and it was Christophe Kern who took the twenty points, ahead of Roux and Morkov. Matt Goss, Mark Renshaw and Mark Cavendish (10 points) were next.e
With 14.2kms to go and after Steve Cummings had to change a wheel following a puncture, Anthony Roux, who had been the last man out in front and won the Brandt Combative Rider of The day was caught.
Cummings was back up the front as BMC brought up Tejay Van Garderen who had won the white jersey on Saturday in Liege. Lotto (pictured below) and Sky came to front.
In to the last two kilometres, Mark Cavendish was about twenty places back. Birthday boy Jurgen Roelandts was up the front.
Cavendish got into the wheel of Andre Greipel and took the victory to give him 21 wins in the Tour De France in a time of 4.56.58 ahead of Griepel and Goss, follwed by Veelers, Petacchi and Green Jersey wearing Sagan.
See the finish; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_MkM-DcL-U&feature=BFa&list=PL1F1AAD81BA36C817
Speaking to ITV4's Ned Boulting, Cavendish (pictured above) said "I know it was going to be dangerous but Bernie Eisel took me. I knew I had to be plucky. I stayed there and it was perfect."
Picture copyright of ASO
Fabian Cancellera still leads Bradley Wiggins by seven seconds in the yellow jersey.
Stage three tomorrow sees the race leave Belgium and head to France with a 197km stage from Orchies to Bologne Sur Mer.