Stage 2 of the 2012 Tour de France saw the sprinters enter the main stage. Team Sky Procycling's Mark Cavendish won a close sprint to the finish line in Tournai edging out Andre Greipel who led the sprint in powerful fashion right until the finish line. Team GreenEdge's Matt Goss finished 3rd.

Team RadioShack-Nissan's Fabian Cancellara kept the overall Tour de France lead, 7 seconds ahead of Team Sky Procycling's GC favorite Bradley Wiggins.

Stage winner Cavendish lacked his usual lead-out train and instead moved himself from wheel to wheel, getting in the ideal spot right behind Greipel before initiating his final acceleration.

Commenting on today's stage and the sprint Cavendish told Roadcycling.com "It wasn't too technical but there was enough technicality to make it a bit chaotic with all the other riders there. Normally I'm out of the way in the front but today I could kind of freestyle."

According to Cavendish the Sky team's focus remains on the general classification battle between Wiggins, Evans and the other favorites. "It wasn't as windy as I thought it was going to be and that didn't play as much of a factor. It's been a good start to the race for the team. Brad stayed out of trouble and hopefully he can continue on towards yellow. We're here to win the yellow jersey. I'm here to do what I did today," Cavendish explained.

2nd place finisher Greipel told Roadcycling.com today's stage was fairly relaxed until the last 60 kilometers and that he was impressed by his team's success at forming a strong lead-out train for him in the final kilometers, thereby positioning him perfectly for the sprint. "It gives me confidence for the coming sprints," Greipel said.

Team Omega Pharma-QuickStep's Tony Martin, who crashed yesterday and fractured the scaphoid of his left hand, stayed out of trouble by riding comfortably in the Tour peloton and not taking any risks. Teammate Jerome Pineau, who was hit by a spectator in his shoulder yesterday, worked for Sylvain Chavanel, who remains 3rd in the GC, 7 seconds behind race leader Cancellara.

Defending Tour de France champion Cadel Evans is 8th overall, 17 seconds behind Cancellara. Team BMC Racing's American Tejay van Garderen retained the white jersey as best young rider in the Tour.

Tomorrow's stage 3 of the 2012 Tour de France takes the Tour peloton 197 kilometers from Orchies to Boulogne-sur-Mer. The arrival in France should provide Classics-like racing in the hilly terrain, resulting in a chance of the general classification favorites testing their current form.

Stay tuned to Roadcycling.com during the 2012 Tour de France and beyond. Follow Roadcycling.com on Twitter and Facebook to receive daily Tour de France news updates automatically. Sign up for your own unbeatable Roadcycling.com/TrainingPeaks-powered cycling training diary here - it's used by pro teams including stage winner Mark Cavendish's Team Sky, Team GreenEdge and Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank.