Tour of Oman Stage 2: Peter Sagan takes stage win and race lead

Cannondale's Peter Sagan is the new leader of the Tour of Oman after winning Stage 2 of the race, getting clear of the pack on a fast descent off the summit of the Al Jissah climb, crested 6.5km from the finish of the stage in Al Bustan. RadioShack-Leopard's Tony Gallopin, third overall last year when he won the young rider's classification, finished second and Martin Elmiger of BMC Racing was third.

Team Sky had been in the thick of the action towards the end of the 146 kilometre stage from Fanja In Bidbid, with Bradley Wiggins and Peter Kennaugh both getting among the KOM points at the first of the two climbs late on, and Richie Porte and Kennaugh each picking up bonus seconds at the intermediate sprint that lay between that and the final ascent. Chris Froome was the team's highest finisher, placing sixth.

On that last descent, with riders such as overnight leader Marcel Kittel of Argos-Shimano already dropped, Saxo-Tinkoff's Alberto Contador briefly got off the front with the man he took the maillot jaune off on his way to winning the 2009 Tour de France, AG2R-La Mondiale's Rinaldo Nocentini, but a front group reformed and eventually it was Sagan who got clear to ride to victory and the overall lead.

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Tour of Oman Stage 1 result   
   
1  SAGAN Peter            CANNONDALE                  3h 48' 36"
2  GALLOPIN Tony          RADIOSHACK LEOPARD           + 00' 05" 
3  ELMIGER Martin         IAM CYCLING                  + 00' 05" 
4  NIBALI Vincenzo        ASTANA PRO TEAM              + 00' 05"
5  STYBAR Zdenek          OMEGA PHARMA-QUICK STEP      + 00' 07" 
6  FROOME Christopher     SKY PROCYCLING               + 00' 07" 
7  BANDIERA Marco         IAM CYCLING                  + 00' 11" 
8  MARCATO Marco          VACANSOLEIL-DCM              + 00' 11" 
9  IMPEY Daryl            ORICA GREENEDGE              + 00' 11" 
10 BOUHANNI Nacer         FDJ                          + 00' 11" 
11 MEERSMAN Gianni        OMEGA PHARMA-QUICK STEP      + 00' 11" 
12 VANDENBERGH Stijn      OMEGA PHARMA-QUICK STEP      + 00' 11" 
13 SOUPE GEOFFREY         FDJ                          + 00' 11" 
14 LAGUTIN Sergey         VACANSOLEIL-DCM              + 00' 11" 
15 BODNAR Maciej          CANNONDALE                   + 00' 11" 
16 NOCENTINI Rinaldo      AG2R LA MONDIALE             + 00' 11" 
17 DEMPSTER Zakkari       TEAM NETAPP-ENDURA           + 00' 11" 
18 BOUET Maxime           AG2R LA MONDIALE             + 00' 11" 
19 VELITS Peter           OMEGA PHARMA-QUICK STEP      + 00' 11" 
20 TSCHOPP Johann         IAM CYCLING                  + 00' 11" 
   
Overall standings after Stage 2  
   
1  SAGAN Peter            CANNONDALE                  7h 53' 25"
2  GALLOPIN Tony          RADIOSHACK LEOPARD           + 00' 09"
3  ELMIGER Martin         IAM CYCLING                  + 00' 11"
4  NIBALI Vincenzo        ASTANA PRO TEAM              + 00' 15"
5  BOUHANNI Nacer         FDJ                          + 00' 17"
6  FROOME Christopher     SKY PROCYCLING               + 00' 17"
7  STYBAR Zdenek          OMEGA PHARMA-QUICK STEP      + 00' 17"
8  VANDENBERGH Stijn      OMEGA PHARMA-QUICK STEP      + 00' 21"
9  BANDIERA Marco         IAM CYCLING                  + 00' 21" 
10 VELITS Peter           OMEGA PHARMA-QUICK STEP      + 00' 21"