Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas) has won Stage 2 of Paris-Nice. The Italian stole a march on the sprinters to win the rolling, 177-km run from Vatan to Limoges in 3:57:36. Daniele Bennati (Lampre) outsprinted Pellizotti?s teammate Luca Paolini for second at 0:02. Pellizotti has taken the overall lead from David Millar (Saunier Duval).

The hostilities began early. Seventeen riders made an early escape, but T-Mobile, CSC, and Rabobank cooperated to reel in the break at 41 km. Stephane Auge (Cofidis), Philippe Gilbert (Francaise des Jeux), Ivan Murillo Fischer (Liquigas), and Thomas Voeckler (Bouygues Telecom) counterattacked immediately. The gang of four led by 6:40 at 72 km.

The peloton gradually chased down the break. With 15 km left, 0:30 separated bunch and break. Fischer and Voeckler dropped Auge and Gilbert. With 10 km remaining, the two leaders had 0:50 on the field.

On the uphill run to the finish, Voeckler dropped Fischer, but the peloton, which was led by Quick Step and Lampre, reeled in the Frenchman. The bunch split. With 400 m left, Pellizotti attacked.

In the overall, Pellizotti leads Millar and Bennati by 0:06. Stage 3 will be a rugged, 215.5-km ride from Limoges to Maurs. Will the standings change? Check in at www.roadcycling.com and find out!