Igor active, but Beñat crashes out

It was another day to forget for Euskaltel in Paris-Nice. The second stage saw a major pile-up with approximately 50 kilometres to go, a crash which took with it at least two Euskaltel riders. Dioni got up and finished the stage, seemingly unscathed, but the same cannot be said of Beñat. Beñat had to abandon due to several cuts in his face, needing stitches immediately. Luckily though, he's doing just fine at the moment. It didn't look good though, as he remained on the ground for a considerable amount of time after he nastily his the deck.

On the bright side for the team, Igor and Gorka looked sharp. The crash split the pack into several pieces, just like yesterday, and the duo managed to stay with the first group. Igor even tried an attack with 400 metres to go on the last climb, taking a few points with him in the process, but was sadly reeled back in on the descent. Though he looked awesome, so he'll be a marked man come the Ventoux tomorrow. Haimar came in 1:15 back, while Dioni, who lost his polkadot jersey to breakaway hero Hupond, came in 2:56 back. Markel ended up another minute and a half in arrears, while Lander was 109th, 8:01 down, and Aitor 152nd, 26:20 down. That leaves Gorke in an excellent 15th overall, while Igor is 38th, 3:15 back on leader Hushovd.