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Lead pack rolling through the grasslands (Image credit: Margus Riga)

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Tuguldur Tuulkhangai of the Mongolian Race Team takes the stage 2 win just ahead of Cory Wallace, Kris Sneddon and Barry Wicks of Team Kona (Image credit: Margus Riga)

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The skies open up for stage 2 of the Mongolia Bike Challenge. (Image credit: Margus Riga)

Racers found their rhythm today during the second stage of the 2012 Mongolia Bike Challenge. Spirits were high this morning as the weather gods shone brightly on the Tuul River Camp. Today's 120-kilometer course featured rolling grasslands with a number of significant climbs which led to epic green valleys dotted with nomadic herders and their ger (yurt) homesteads.

A large front group was established early made up of 15 riders. The pack was whittled down to eight riders by the 50-kilometer marker. This group included stage one winner, Cory Wallace and his Kona teammates Kris Sneddon and Barry Wicks, as well as Pau Zamora (Team Buff), Carter Hovey (Team MBC Racing p/b Orbea-SMP), Mongolian rider Tuguldur Tuulkhangai, and Razif Salleh and Marcel Hagener of Team Chiru-WTB.

After the second rest stop at 90 kilometers, Wallace, Wicks, Sneddon, and Tuulkhangai were able to break away and get a significant gap on the rest of the field.

In the end, it was the Mongolian rider, Tuulkhangai ,who won the stage, followed by Wicks and Wallace.

The sun is still shining at day´s end as athletes settle into camp life in the Undur Sant Uul Mountains.

Results not yet available.