CYCLING NEWS: Greipel sprints to Paris-Nice stage

Greipel has six stage wins in the Tour de France - including one in the 2014 edition

Germany's Andre Greipel sprinted to the second stage of Paris-Nice as a late breakaway, featuring Team Sky's Geraint Thomas, was reeled in.

Thomas, along with Tony Martin and Lars Boom, opened a 13-second lead with just over five kilometres to go.

But they were swallowed up before Australia's Greg Henderson gave his Lotto-Soudal team-mate Greipel an ideal lead-out to hold off Arnaud Demare.

Etixx-QuickStep's Polish rider Michal Kwiatkowski remains top overall.

Former Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins lost another 27 seconds - slipping to 42 seconds off the pace - as he trailed home 142nd on the 172km stage.

The peloton held a minute's silence at the start of the stage in memory of the 10 people - including three French Olympic athletes -killed in a helicopter crash in Argentina earlier in the week.

"Paris-Nice is a big race and it usually has quite a few top sprinters," Greipel, who has never won in the race before, said.

"I hadn't competed in it for several years, so I am delighted."

Wednesday's third stage will be contested over a 179km (111-mile) route to Saint-Pourcain-sur-Sioule, featuring three Category-Three climbs.

Paris - Nice Stage 2 results

1. Andre Greipel (Germany / Lotto) 4:30:18"

2. Arnaud Demare (France / FDJ) ST

3. John Degenkolb (Germany / Giant)

4. Michael Matthews (Australia / Orica)

5. Jose Joaquin Rojas (Spain / Movistar)

6. Nacer Bouhanni (France / Cofidis)

7. Moreno Hofland (Netherlands / Lotto)

8. Alexander Kristoff (Norway / Katusha)

9. Jonas Van Genechten (Belgium / IAM Cycling)

10. Niccolo Bonifazio (Italy / Lampre)

Classification after Stage 2

1. Michal Kwiatkowski (Poland / Etixx - Quick-Step) 5:22:58"

2. Rohan Dennis (Australia / BMC Racing) ST

3. John Degenkolb (Germany / Giant) +2"

4. Tony Martin (Germany / Etixx - Quick-Step) +7"

5. Michael Matthews (Australia / Orica) +9"

6. Luis Leon Sanchez (Spain / Astana) +10"

7. Lars Boom (Netherlands / Astana)

8. Sylvain Chavanel (France / IAM Cycling)

9. Tom Dumoulin (Netherlands / Giant) +13"

10. Geraint Thomas (Britain / Team Sky)

99. Bradley Wiggins (Britain/ Team Sky) +42"

Overall leader Kwiatkowski briefly held the white jersey - for the best young rider - at last year's Tour de France

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