RACE REPORTS: TOUR OF BRITAIN STAGE 2: REUS RETURNS

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RACE REPORTS: TOUR OF BRITAIN STAGE 2: REUS RETURNS
Road Bike Action & AFP
September 13, 2009

(Photo: Yuzuru Sunada)

Australia's Chris Sutton surrendered the yellow jersey at the end of the second stage of the Tour of Britain on Sunday but still insisted his weekend could not have gone any better. Sutton followed-up his first stage win with ninth place on day two from Darlington to Gateshead as Dutchman Kai Reus, a former junior world champion, won his first race since a 2007 crash that left him in a coma.

Reus' comfortable nine second margin of victory was enough to earn him yellow and Sydney's Sutton admitted his opening exploits in York had taken their toll. "The day went pretty well for me considering how much effort I put into the first day," said the Garmin-Slipstream rider. "I was never going to go out there and race from the front if I could help it but the lads in the team all worked hard for me and things are looking good. We were down to five riders today after Ricardo Van De Velde's crash on Saturday. It's very hard to control the race with only five in your team so it was a case of going out there and doing as well as we could and that's what we did. We didn't have much help from the rest of the field so I'm happy with the weekend's work and we're in a good position."

More than 3,000 people turned out on Sunday to watch a dramatic second day as Reus overhauled Sutton to take the yellow jersey. Rabobank rider Reus, along with Tanel Kangert and Thomas De Gendt, broke away from the peloton with 42km remaining and he held off their challenge to romp home. But Sutton believes handing over the lead could play into his hands. "I'm feeling really good at the moment and everything is looking up," added Sutton. "It's definitely a case of job done this weekend and I'm still well up there in the general classification. Having the yellow jersey taken off me might actually help to take a bit of the pressure off and help me relax and ride naturally. That's what I'm good at and I'm excited about the rest of the week."

Fellow Australians Graeme Brown and Simon Clarke are 16th and 22nd overall but Darren Lapthorne and Sutton's Garmin-Slipstream team-mate Trent Lowe are propping up the field in 98th and 99th positions.

Tour of Britain Stage 2 153.3km
1. Kai Reus (NED/Rabobank, 3:38:32
2. Alexander Kristoff (NOR/Joker Bianchi) @ .09
3. Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR/Columbia-HTC) s.t.
4. Martin Reimer (GER/Cervélo)
5. Danilo Napolitano (ITA/Katusha)
6. Michel Merlo (ITA/Barloworld)
7. Malcolm Elliott (GBR/Candi TV-Marshalls Pasta)
8. Pierpaolo De Negri (ITA/ISD)
9. Chris Sutton (AUS/Garmin-Slipstream)
10. Pieter Vanspeybrouck (BEL/Topsport Vlaanderen)

General Classification After 2
1. Kai Reus (NED/Rabobank in 7:46:14
2. Chris Sutton (AUS/Garmin-Slipstream) @ .16
3. Alexander Kristoff (NOR/Joker Bianchi) @ .19
4. Michel Merlo (ITA/Barloworld) @ .20
5. Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR/Columbia-HTC) @ .21
6. Russell Downing (GBR/Candi TV-Marshalls Pasta) at .25
7. Martin Reimer (GER/Cervélo) @ .26
8. Pieter Vanspeybrouck (BEL/Topsport Vlaanderen) @ s.t.
9. Malcolm Elliott (GBR/Candi TV-Marshalls Pasta)
10. Reinier Honig (NED/Vacansoleil)

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