Paris-Nice stage 2: Tom Boonen wins in Orléans

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Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) won a thrilling stage 2 in Paris-Nice into Orléans, holding off Jose Joaquin Rojas (Movistar) and John Degenkolb (Project 1T4i) with a trademark sprint.

But the sprint was only half of the story with race leader Gustav Larsson (Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling) slipping out of yellow after Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) broke away with a group of favourites that included Levi Leipheimer (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) and Tejay Van Garderen (BMC). Like Larsson, last year's winner Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) also missed the split. Wiggins now leads Leipheimer by 6 seconds with Boonen a further second back.

The list of potential winners for the 2012 edition of Paris-Nice has now shrunk dramatically with Larsson, Rein Taaramae (Cofidis Le Credit En Ligne), Richie Porte (Sky Procycling), Martin and both Schleck brothers losing a further two minutes, on what most predicted would be a stage finish decided by a mass bunch gallop. Wiggins, Leipheimer, Alejandro Valverde and Van Garderen are now the main protagonists.

The race sprung to life when 21 riders turned the race on its head, breaking away in the crosswinds as the race passed through the feed zone.

At the start of the stage, and faced with a headwind and pancake flat the conditions the stage appeared tailor-made to the bunch sprinters and it took 60 kilometers before the first significant move from the front was allowed any leeway with Olivier Kaisen (Lotto Belisol) breaking free at Rambouillet.

It proved as a mere appetizer for what lay ahead. As the peloton reached the feed zone, a change in direction and fresh gust of wind caused the peloton to splinter. This wasn't the racing of the French countryside but of the dirt roads of Belgium or Holland, and a measure of who truly had fire in their belly.

Overnight leader Gustav Larsson (Vacansoleil-DCM) was caught napping, along with last year's winner Tony Martin and Andy Schleck, both of whom are shadows of the riders they were at the peak of 2011.

Bradley Wiggins, Levi Leipheimer and the impressive Tejay Van Garderen were all attentive enough to realise the danger, and along with the Movistar duo of Alejandro Valverde Jose Rojas, they led a crack group clear of the peloton.

With 77km remaining the chase had still not organised, the gap creeping up to a minute as the lead group continued to press ahead. The cross winds not just splitting the bunch in two, but decimating it with four echelons formed.

More names crackled through French race radio: Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-QuickStep), Maxime Monfort (RadioShack-Nissan), Geraint Thomas, Bradley Wiggins (Sky), John Degenkolb (Project 1t4i), Seb Vanmarcke, Andreas Klier (Garmin-Barracuda), Robert Kiserlovski, Francesco Gavazzi, (Astana), Anthony Ravard (Ag2r-La Mondiale), Taylor Phinney (BMC), Arnold Jeannesson (FDJ-BigMat) all present.

A desperate Larsson, positioned in the third group was left powerless and could do nothing to stop Wiggins as he picked up two valuable seconds at the intermediate sprint at Neuville-aux-Bois.

Although the second and third groups merged, the gap stretched to 2:20 with less than 40 kilometers to go. Saur-Sojasun with Coppel in mind and Lotto finally began to muster a concerted effort. Rabobank soon joined but despite a headwind in the final 20 kilometers they had little impression on the lead as up front Wiggins – a constant present at the front – pressed on.

At times he would accelerate from the front, creating a gap, before soft pedalling and allowing his companions to follow him once more. This is a rider at the peak of his game and Sky's ambitions of winning the Tour within five years, something they've publicly stepped back from in the last two years, now looks a distinct possibility.

Leading into the final 10 kilometers both Sky and Omega-Pharma QuickStep took charge. Both with thoughts of the general classification but the Belgian team also conscious that in Boonen they possessed a favourite for the stage win.

The harmony was broken by Lieuwe Westra (Vacansoleil) but his move was quickly nullified and with 3 kilometers remaining Chavanel hit the front, churning a huge gear, clearly in a bid to set Boonen up for the sprint.

Into the last kilometre and Chavanel was still there, grimacing away as his legs gave one final surge. Nikolas Maes led out, and Boonen, upstaged in Omlopp a fortnight ago, made no mistake this time, holding off Rojas and Degenkolb.

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