Back to back wins for Kittel

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Stage two of the 4 Days of Dunkirk began with the first climb coming at less than 10km into the stage, and the peloton was controlled by the Roubaix Lille Metropole team in order to protect Anthony Colin's lead in the mountains classification. Steven Tronet led the peloton over the top, taking the points for the team but Sylvain Georges (Big Mat) took second and overtook Colin in the competition.

It wasn't until almost the 20km mark that the breakaway was established. Four riders: Anthony Ravard (AG2R), Martin Mortensen (Leopard Trek), Martijn Keizer (Vacansoleil) and Julien El Fares (Cofidis) gained a maximum 3:15 over the peloton with Skil-Shimano doing the pace-setting behind to protect race leader Marcel Kittel.

A section of pavé near kilometer 120 not only split the peloton in two, but provided an opportunity for Keizer to launch an attack as the lead group's advantage was reduced to just 40 seconds.

The two chase groups came together and swallowed up the three former breakaway riders, but Keizer stayed clear until the start of the closing circuit, taking the sprint at the line in Iwuy.

Once Keizer was caught, a new breakaway went clear on the cobbles: Sebastien Hinault (AG2R), Luca Paolini and Filippo Pozzato (Katusha), Zdenek Stybar (Quickstep), Jonas Aaen Jörgensen (Saxo Bank Sungard), Joost Van Leijen (Vacansoleil), Aleksejs Saramontins (Cofidis), Frédéric Guesdon (FDJ), Matheiu Claude (Europcar), Grégory Habeaux (Veranda's Willems), Mitchell Docker (Skil-Shimano), Romain Bacon (Big Mat) and Morgan Kneisky (Roubaix Lille Metropole).

The group never gained more than 30 seconds. Paolini flatted out of the move, leaving 12 men to try and stay clear. With 10km to go, Jörgensen, Claude and Van Leijen tried to gain an advantage as the rest went back to the peloton, but the pace of Skil-Shimano was too great.

The bunch sprint became an inevitability, but a crash with 4km to go disrupted the proceedings, and provided a chance for Johan Le Bon (Bretagne-Schuller) to try for a solo move.

He was quickly brought back in the furious push to the line, and in the sprint it was the pink jersey of race leader Marcel Kittel (Skil-Shimano) that blasted to the fore, giving the young German his second stage win in a row.

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