Hushovd muscles his way to front

Published on Sunday 6 July 2008 21:48

THE burly Norwegian Thor Hushovd won yesterday's second stage of the Tour de France, sprinting in at the head of a heaving pack that had timed its pursuit of four Frenchman to perfection.

Just as the junction was made with the breakaways, inside the final 2km, the Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara jumped away, then the Italian Filippo Pozzato, but in the final metres they too were overhauled by 30-year old Hushovd, claiming his sixth Tour stage.

David Millar completed a good opening weekend, crossing the line 26th, in the same time as Hushovd, to ascend to 7th overall, a second behind the yellow jersey and winner of Saturday's first stage, Alejandro Valverde.

Having finished in the select group of twelve that restricted Valverde's advantage to that solitary second on Saturday, placing eleventh on the stage, Millar explained at yesterday's start in Auray that he has a single goal in mind: to claim the yellow jersey in tomorrow's 29.5km time trial. "I'm waiting for Tuesday and just trying to keep out of trouble until then," said Millar.

"I didn't even see Valverde's attack," said Millar of the Spaniard's stunning stage-winning move on the final 200m drag to the finish of Saturday's stage.

"I had been following (Damiano] Cunego, because I thought he was the man for the stage. When Cunego popped I just burst myself to stay in that front group. It was mega hard; my heart rate was the highest it's been in five years."

After two stages Millar is on course to start tomorrow's stage with an outside chance of fulfilling his aim, but hovering dangerously are Cadel Evans, the overall favourite currently two places ahead of Millar in the overall classification, and Cancellara, the time trial specialist described by Millar as being "at the zenith of his powers."

Yesterday's undulating 164km to St Brieuc continued the Tour's sojourn in the cycling mad-region of Brittany.

The black-and-white Breton flag fluttered – or, in the gusting wind, billowed – from every cluster of roadside spectators, who grew more excited as a local boy, David Lelay, from St Brieuc itself, helped his team leader Christian Moreau bridge a gap to the long-time breakaways, Sylvain Chavanel and Thomas Voeckler. That made four Frenchmen in the lead, but what followed helped illustrate why, twenty-three years after the last home victory, by the fearsome Breton Bernard Hinault, they are still waiting. The four riders represented three French teams, but the home teams who'd missed the boat opted not to sit in the pack and wish their countrymen 'bon chance' – no, they led the chase, all but sabotaging the leaders' chances.

Still, the four rode heroically, maintaining a lead that hovered between two and three minutes, and it was only in the final 3km – with the French teams now assisted in the chase by others – that it became clear they were doomed, at which point Chavanel launched a last gasp bid for victory. But, in the final kilometre, first Cancellara, then Pozzato, caught him, before Hushovd – who at least rides for the French Credit Agricole team – led the bunch home. Hushovd confessed he was a little surprised to win in such terrain. "But with the wind and the rain it's a bit like Norway," he shrugged.

Today's 208km to Nantes should finish in a mass sprint, with the other British rider, Mark Cavendish, fancied – not least by himself – to shine.

The 23-year old says he is the fastest sprinter in the race – today he should have a chance to prove it, though the omens are also good for Millar.

The last time the Tour visited Nantes, in 2003, he won the stage. He also wore the yellow jersey into Nantes in his first Tour in 2000.