Spain's world road race champion Oscar Freire, riding for the Italian Mapei team, pipped Australian Robbie McEwen on the finish line to win the second stage of the Tour de France today.
Freire (26) crept up on the right side of the Australian national champion to beat him on the line and take the honours after 181km of riding.
Erik Zabel, wearing the green points jersey, finished third just ahead of Australian Baden Cooke.
Rubens Bertogliati, the 23-year-old Swiss rider from the Italian Lampre team, retains the race leader's yellow jersey.
He holds a two-second advantage over Zabel in the overall standings with Frenchman Laurent Jalabert and American Armstrong both 3secs adrift.
The stage, completed in a time of 4hr 19min 51secs, had been animated early on by talented young French rider Sylvain Chavanel of the Bonjour team.
He attacked early at the 11km mark and was soon joined by compatriot Stephane Berges of the AG2R team and Norwegian Thor Hushovd of Credit Agricole.
But despite enjoying the limelight, the trio were caught well before the real action unfolded.
First, Hushovd was forced off his bike with severe cramp, then Chavanel and Berges were swallowed up by the ensuing peloton.
German Jens Voigt of the Credit Agricole team then attacked but his effort, with 19km to race, proved premature and he in turn was caught by a peloton led by the German Telekom team of Zabel.
AFP