Team Sky's Ben Swift won the second stage of the 2011 Santos Tour Down Under earlier today, avoiding three crashes in the final three miles that dropped overnight leader Matthew Goss and sprinting star Mark Cavendish.

Cavendish, riding for the U.S.-based Team HTC-HighRoad, suffered a serious cut above his right eye, deep lacerations and abrasions to his shoulder, side and knee but said he plans to start the race's third stage Thursday.

Goss, also racing for Team HTC-Highroad, recovered from his fall to finish in the peleton. He still gave up the overall lead to fellow Aussie Robbie McEwen, who was second in the stage.

Commenting on his win, Swift told Roadcycling.com "It's the biggest win of my career, without a doubt, but it all It felt a bit unreal to be honest because our plan changed three times in the final four kilometres. Fortunately we were all able to think on our feet though and everything turned out brilliantly."

Swift continued "The plan today had been for everyone to ride for CJ but when he crashed we kept our lead-out going because Greg Henderson was there."

"We were right on the front in the final kilometer with Mathew Hayman leading the way, me in second and Geraint Thomas on my wheel, but I got the call from G with around 600m to go that Greg had dropped back and it would be me who was going for it," Swift added and concluded "He hopped on Hayman's wheel and I got on G's and they took me right up until about 200m to go and then I just went for it. McEwen got a bit of a jump on me at first but that gave me something to run at and thankfully I was able to pull away at the end there.

Graeme Brown of Australia was third in the chaotic finish, ahead of Romain Feillu of France and Jurgens Roelandts of Belgium. Lance Armstrong, who finished 81st in the opening stage, was 42nd and credited with the same time as the winner to remain 60th overall among 133 riders.

Armstrong has said this will be his final race outside of the United States.

McEwen, Armstrong's RadioShack teammate, leads the overall standings ahead of Goss and Swift, who share his accumulated time of 6 hours, 44 minutes, 42 seconds. Defending champion Andre Greipel, who was second overnight, fell back to fourth overall, 4 seconds behind McEwen.

The 91-mile second stage from Tailem Bend to Mannum in the Murray River region of South Australia was relatively uneventful until the last few miles, when Cavendish and Goss fell.

More riders came down when they skidded on gravel on a corner about two miles from the finish, and a large group among the peleton crashed in a frantic final sprint.

McEwen avoided the worst of the carnage to take over the tour leader's ochre jersey.

"I'm very happy; I have the jersey through consistency," McEwen commented and added "Unfortunately guys crashed - that also influenced things. I'm sure otherwise, Greipel and Matt Goss would have been up there in contention for the win, but that's part of bike racing.

"You have to actually get to the finish, and bad luck is a part of racing" McEwen said. "I was fortunate not to get caught up in it, and it's delivered me the jersey."

"I was gunning to win the stage and I went from quite a way out to try to spring the element of surprise through the inside at about 250m to go.  Swifty came up with a really good lead out and won the stage so good on him.  I managed to hold on for second and with the bonus seconds it's a nice surprise to be leading," McEwen told Roadcycling.com.

Asked about his motivation in riding for his new Team RadioShack, McEwen continued "I'm always motivated.  I think that's something I've always been able to rely on throughout my career.  I am always up to try and win and make the best of any situation. Especially with a new team it's always good to impress them at the start and I'm just really, really motivated and enjoying my riding."

Goss said there was "plenty of carnage" in the stage's final few miles. He was able to remount his bike after falling and caught the peleton and was fortunate not to reach the front of the bunch, where two more crashes wrecked the chances of some of the leading riders.

Goss finished 47th in the stage and Greipel 76th.

The most serious injury was to Australian Bernie Sulzberger, who broke his collarbone and was taken to a hospital for surgery, needing a metal plate inserted to repair the injury. He has withdrawn from the remainder of the tour.

Cavendish ended the stage with his face caked in blood from cuts above and below his left eye that needed two stitches. He confirmed later he would race in the 70-mile third stage from Unley in suburban Adelaide to Stirling in the hills on the city's eastern fringe.

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