Wednesday 2 April 2014 17:32, UK
Italy’s Sacha Modolo sprinted to victory on stage two of the Three Days of De Panne as Belgium’s Gert Steegmans moved into the overall lead of the race.
Lampre-Merida rider Modolo claimed his fifth win of the season by beating Arnaud Demare (FDJ) into second place by a bike length and Milan-San Remo winner Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) into third.
Steegmans (Omega Pharma – Quick-Step) picked up six bonus seconds by winning two of the day’s three intermediate sprints and consequently rises to the top of the general classification, one second ahead of second-placed Oscar Gatto (Cannondale).
Peter Sagan (Cannondale) had topped the standings overnight after winning stage one, but with the Tour of Flanders only four days away, the Slovakian opted not to finish the stage and surrendered the leader’s white jersey.
The Three Days of De Panne concludes on Thursday with a split stage comprising of a 109.7km road stage and a 14.3km individual time trial.
