Australian cyclist Robbie McEwen has captured the second stage of the Tour of Italy race, edging Germany's Olaf Pollack and Olympic champion Paolo Bettini of Italy in a group sprint to the finish line.
McEwen completed Sunday's 197-kilometer ride, between the Belgian cities of Mons and Charleroi in 4:51:40. Defending champion Paolo Savoldelli of Italy retained the overall leader's pink jersey and was credited with the same time as the winner after finishing in the main group.
After two of the race's 21 stages, Savoldelli holds an 11-second lead over Bradley McGee of Australia following a win in Saturday's opening individual time trial. Jose Gutierrez Cataluna of Spain is third, 13 seconds back.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.