Démare exhibits raw power as Euskaltel come up short

Euskaltel did not manage to animate the second stage of the ENECO Tour as they'd hoped, as Arnaud Démare easily sprinted to the win in Vorst.

The riders in orange had intended to get into the break of the day on the 176km ride starting in yesterday's finishing town of Ardooie, but they were not to be successful. Eventually a quartet with no Euskaltel riders in it got away, but they stood no chance against the sprinters' teams as it all came down to a frantic dash for the line.

FDJ.fr's hugely talented Démare took the win from Philippe Gilbert and Tyler Farrar at a canter. The best rider in orange was Romain Sicard, the Frenchman finishing 23rd at five seconds. Overall, Sicard's also the team's top rider in 32nd, 15 seconds back.

Results:

• (1, Arnaud Démare (FDJ.fr), 4:03:34)
• 23, Romain Sicard, 0:05
• 43, Garikoitz Bravo, 0:12
• 48, Rubén Pérez, s.t.
• 53, Juan José Lobato, s.t.
• 67, Miguel Mínguez, s.t.
• 77, Ioannis Tamouridis, 0:38
• 134, Jon Aberasturi, 1:22
• 159, Jure Kocjan, 8:54

Photo: Iñaki Azanza