Pedro Horillo (Quick Step) has won Stage 2 of Paris-Nice. Horillo took a 36-rider sprint from Markus Zberg and Michele Bartoli (CSC) to win the relatively flat, 166.5-km ride from Chaville to Montargis in 3:47:55. Jorg Jaksche (CSC) remains the overall leader.

From the outset, the pace was fast. On the first of five Category 3 climbs, Raivis Belohvosciks (Chocolade Jacques) escaped. The peloton did not chase immediately, and the Latvian remained at large for 100 km before the bunch reeled him in.

High winds blew all day, and CSC's pacemaking forced a split in the field. Defending champion Alexander Vinokourov (T Mobile) found himself on the wrong side of the split, but CSC put all eight of its riders into the break. The day would end with the Danish squad having three riders in the top ten. 

In the closing km, Matthew Hayman (Rabobank) and Fabian Cancellara (Fassa Bortolo) mounted attacks, but the CSC-led peloton reeled them in. In the last km, the Danish squad let the sprinters' teams take over, but Horrillo stole a march on the sprinters and took the stage.

In the overall, Jaksche leads Rebellin by 0:06 and Bobby Julich (CSC) by 0:18. Stage 3 will be a 229-km ride from La Chapelle-Saint-Ursin to Roanne. On paper, it is was tailor-made for a bunch sprint, but so was Stage 2. How will things turn out? Check in at www.roadcycling.com and find out!