It's all smiles before the start of stage two in Veracruz.(Image credit: Wenceslao Rodriguez/ WRS IMAGENES)
The bunch takes it easy after the feed zone.(Image credit: Wenceslao Rodriguez/ WRS IMAGENES)
The peloton before Francois Parisien took flight.(Image credit: Wenceslao Rodriguez/ WRS IMAGENES)
Francois Parisien leads the four-man selection, with Francisco Mancebo along for the ride.(Image credit: Wenceslao Rodriguez/ WRS IMAGENES)
Edwin Parra (Boyaca Orgullo de America) on his way to third place.(Image credit: Wenceslao Rodriguez/ WRS IMAGENES)
Valeriy Kobzarenko (Team Type I) smiles for the camera.(Image credit: Wenceslao Rodriguez/ WRS IMAGENES)
Francisco Mancebo (Rock Racing) goes hell-for-leather late in the stage.(Image credit: Wenceslao Rodriguez/ WRS IMAGENES)
Francois Parisien (Spidertech pb Planet Energy) puts his head down and motors towards the finish.(Image credit: Wenceslao Rodriguez/ WRS IMAGENES)
Chorizo, anyone? Local smallgoods on sale along the stage two route.(Image credit: Wenceslao Rodriguez/ WRS IMAGENES)
The stage two podium (l-r): Francisco Mancebo, Francois Parisien and Edwin Parra.(Image credit: Wenceslao Rodriguez/ WRS IMAGENES)
Veracruz Governor Fidel Herrera (centre) discusses the race after the presentation.(Image credit: Wenceslao Rodriguez/ WRS IMAGENES)
Best Mexican rider Francisco Matamos.(Image credit: Wenceslao Rodriguez/ WRS IMAGENES)
Emman Van Ruitenbeek (Kuota Indeland) gets some sustenance.(Image credit: Wenceslao Rodriguez/ WRS IMAGENES)
The 108km journey from Veracruz to Xalapa was scenic.(Image credit: Wenceslao Rodriguez/ WRS IMAGENES)
Francisco Mancebo (right) has a chat as Ilo Ilesic (left) contemplates the day ahead.(Image credit: Wenceslao Rodriguez/ WRS IMAGENES)
The peloton leaves Veracruz.(Image credit: Wenceslao Rodriguez/ WRS IMAGENES)
Rock Racing was at it early in the stage, riding hard on the front.(Image credit: Wenceslao Rodriguez/ WRS IMAGENES)
The early machinations cause a split in the field.(Image credit: Wenceslao Rodriguez/ WRS IMAGENES)
A seven-man group goes clear early in the stage.(Image credit: Wenceslao Rodriguez/ WRS IMAGENES)
The peloton is left looking for direction after the break went away.(Image credit: Wenceslao Rodriguez/ WRS IMAGENES)
Russian rider Vladislav Borisov (Amore e Vita Conad).(Image credit: Wenceslao Rodriguez/ WRS IMAGENES)
Daniel Omar Juarez takes the first meta volante of the stage.(Image credit: Wenceslao Rodriguez/ WRS IMAGENES)
Ignacio Sarabia works on the front of the group.(Image credit: Wenceslao Rodriguez/ WRS IMAGENES)
The break made good progress towards Xalapa.(Image credit: Wenceslao Rodriguez/ WRS IMAGENES)
Bernardo Colex (Amore e Vita Conad).(Image credit: Wenceslao Rodriguez/ WRS IMAGENES)
Francisco Mancebo was all smiles after securing the race lead in stage two.(Image credit: Wenceslao Rodriguez/ WRS IMAGENES)
Fortune favours the brave and it shone on Spidertech's Francois Parisien today as he took the hard road to Xalapa, attacking with a group of four some 50km from the stage finish to win ahead of overall favourite Francisco Mancebo (Rock Racing) and Edwin Parra (Boyaca Orgullo de America).
The Canadian now sits in third overall, behind the men he beat in the finale of the 108km journey from Veracruz, which was run under clear Mexican skies. With approximately 50km remaining in the stage he attacked with Mancebo, Parra and Valeriy Kobzarenko (Team Type I), who was dropped and finished four seconds down on the remaining trio.
"I attacked 50 kilometers to go, my team supported me and worked hard for that," said Parisien, who made the switch to the Canadian Continental squad last year, having previously ridden for ProTour outfit Garmin-Slipstream.
"The stage was tough especially in the mountain area, but after I rode a hard sprint at the end of the stage I could relax at the front - I could turn back and saw that no one was coming behind me," he added.
Mancebo conceded that Parisien "easily won the sprint; I attacked too early and then when I saw the strength of his sprint and didn't know who would follow [to challenge] for the win."
There's bigger fish to fry for Mancebo however, who has his eye on another Vuelta México Telmex title. "We have riders like Oscar Sevilla, Ignacio Sarabia, Juan Pablo Magallanes and myself that we can win, we come prepared for that," he explained.
"Today was a difficult race because of the heat at the start of the stage," said Edwin Parra, who now sits in second overall. "We put ourselves in a good place but later in the mountain stages we hope to put up some competition."
"[We will] look for the mountain stages like we did to take the Tour of Colombia," parra added. "I think we do have chances of winning the overall and team [classification]."
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