Frenchman Nacer Bouhanni, riding for Cofidis, turned in an explosive burst of power as he sprinted to victory in the second stage of the Criterium du Dauphine on Monday following a 173km ride from Le Bourget-du-Lac to Villars-les-Dombes.

British 25-year-old Peter Kennaugh, who won the opening stage, retains the leader's jersey after finishing with the pack.

Another Frenchman Samuel Dumoulin was second with Italian Sacha Modolo, a winner of two stages on the recent Giro d'Italia, claiming the final place on the podium.

"Im really happy for the Cofidis team, it was a great win and I'm very happy," said Bouhanni.

"The conditions were ideal, I really counted on my teammates who did a great job and I'm really super happy." he added.  

Kennaugh, who rides for the Sky team, led by former Tour de France champion Chris Froome, maintains a two second lead in the overall standings over Modolo and Bouhanni on a day suited for a sprint finish.

A three-man escape formed during the stage with Frenchmen Arnaud Courteille and Perrig Quemeneur as well as Daniel Teklehaimanot of Eritrea building up a lead of seven minutes before eventually being reeled in by the peloton with 3km to race.

In a bunch sprint for the line, Bouhanni negotiated his way through the pack of riders bidding for victory and sprinted clear for a well-deserved win.

The 24-year-old Bouhanni shot to fame in 2014 when he won three stages on the Giro d'Italia and won the points jersey.

Tuesday features a team time-trial over 24.5km between Roanne and Montagny with race set to finish on Sunday.
Source: AFP