Hivert takes sprint victory in Adra

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Jonathan Hivert (Saur-Sojasun) has won the second stage at the Ruta del Sol, outsprinting a lead group of 43 riders in Adra. The 25-year-old Frenchman bested Francisco Ventoso (Movistar) and Oscar Freire (Rabobank) in the finale after a hilly 161.8km of racing.

Overnight race leader Jimmy Engoulvent (Saur-Sojasun), winner of the stage one time trial, was dropped on the day's first climb, the hors catégorie Puerto de Polopos at 60km into the stage, and ultimately finished in a group nearly 23 minutes off the pace.

Runner-up in the opening stage, Markel Irizar Aranburu (RadioShack), endured the stage's climbing and took over the race lead, having finished in the lead group. The 31-year-old Spaniard leads Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Omega Pharma-Lotto) by one second and RadioShack teammate Levi Leipheimer by two seconds.

"It’s nice to be in the lead," said Irizar. "Especially after such a hard stage, with three climbs and 3300m of climbing. I suffered a lot but it was worth suffering for it.

"The team worked so hard for me. Muravyev, Rovny and Zubeldia stayed with me the whole day. They motivated me constantly and helped me to come back after that terrible climb. For sure I will fight to keep this jersey. It is important for Team RadioShack in the beginning of the season."

"It will be hard [to keep the leader's jersey]," said RadioShack team director Viatcheslav Ekimov. "Many riders are within a few seconds for the overall classification. Tomorrow we have again a stage with a lot of up and downs and then we have two flatter stages where the wind can play a key role.

"There are no bonification seconds at the finish line. It will be the job of the teammates to keep Markel in the front. Hard, but not impossible at all."

A hard day in the saddle

The peloton faced a difficult opening road stage at the Ruta del Sol and would have to tackle more than 10,000' of climbing, taking in a hors catégorie climb at km 60.7, a category one climb at km 96, followed by a category three ascent at km 129.4. With so much climbing on tap for the day it came as no surprise that some intrepid riders would seek their fortunes in a breakaway, and the day's first escape formed after 27km of racing.

Five riders went on the attack including Marco Marcato (Vacansoleil-DCM), David De La Cruz (Caja Rural), Javier Ramirez Abeja (Andalucia Caja Granada), Romain Sicard (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Aritz Etxebarria (Orbea Continental). The peloton was in no hurry to chase and 21km later the quintet's lead ballooned to eight minutes at the foot of the opening climb.

While the breakaway steadily made its way to the top of the Puerto de Polopos, the peloton exploded in its wake as those with general classification ambitions forced the pace and splintered the field. Ramirez Abeja led the five man break over the summit while an elite selection of 20 riders crested the summit 2:30 later including Sammy Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Levi Leipheimer and Haimar Zubeldia (RadioShack), Frank Schleck and Anders Lund (Saxo Bank Sungard), Sergio Pardilla, Francisco Ventoso and Luis Pasamontes (Movistar), Vicente David Bernabeu Armengol (Andalucia Caja Granada), Thierry Hupond (Skil-Shimano), Jerome Coppel (Saur-Sojasun), Jurgen Van Den Broeck and Óscar Pujol (Omega Pharma-Lotto), Fabio Duarte and Rafael Valls (Geox-TMC), Javier Moreno and Iñigo Cuesta (Caja Rural), Matteo Carrara (Vacansoleil-DCM), Laurens Ten Dam (Rabobank) and Bartosz Huzarski (Netapp).

On the descent of the Puerto de Polopos Ramirez Abeja dropped his breakaway companions and set out alone in the race lead. Sicard and Marcato pursued the Spaniard together while De La Cruz and Etxebarria were absorbed by the chase group.

Ramirez Abeja continued to lead the race alone as he crossed the day's second climb, the category one Puerto de Albuñol, after 96km of racing. The chase group had absorbed all of his former breakaway companions and grew slightly in size as riders dropped on the Puerto de Polopos made contact.

Geox-TMC set a strong tempo on the climb for the chase group, which once again reduced in size to approximately 20 riders approaching the summit of the Puerto de Albuñol. Geox-TMC's Fabio Duarte then attacked the chase group and crossed the summit alone in second place in pursuit of Ramirez Abeja.

The Colombian made contact with the Spaniard at km 100 at which time they held a three-minute lead on the first chase group.

Their lead would begin to decrease, however, as once again the chase group grew in size and strength. With 55km remaining Duarte and Ramirez Abeja led by two minutes and five kilometres later their advantage dropped to 1:35

Duarte soon dropped his breakaway companion and set off alone in the race lead. The 24-year-old Colombian, the 2008 U23 road race world champion, took top honours at the day's final climb, the category three Alto la Berja, and led his pursuers by 1:52 with 32.4km remaining.

Duarte would be no match, however, for a motivated chase group powered by RadioShack and Rabobank and the Colombian would be absorbed with five kilometres remaining.

Peio Bilbao (Orbea Continental) and Arkaitz Duran Aroca (Geox-TMC) each made strong attacks in the final kilometres, but both moves were neutralised, setting up the field sprint finale taken by Hivert.