Marcel Kittel claimed the first victory for Project 1t4i. The sprinter edged victory in the second stage of the French race Etoile des Besseges ahead of Belgian Kris Boeckmans and stage one winner Nacer Bouhanni.
The second stage was difficult due to severe winter weather that hit southern France. Snow and temperatures at the freezing point forced race organizers to cancel the first part of the route between Nîmes and Saint-Ambroix. The start was at Lusson and omitted 59 kilometers of the original 149km.
Marcel Kittel showed real strength in the sprint and left his opponents no chance in the last straight line. He won his first race after finishing second the previous day. The German is now the new leader in general classification.
Stage 2, Etoile des Besseges Nimes-Saint-Ambroix 59 km:
1. Marcel Kittel (Ger) Project 1t4i
2. Kris Boeckmans (Bel) Vacansoleil – DCM Pro Cycling Team
3. Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) FDJ – Big Mat
4. Daniele Colli (Ita) Team Type 1 – Sanofi
5. Justin Jules (Fra) Veranda Rideau U
6. Michael Van Staeyen (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen – Mercator
7. Jean-Pierre Drucker (Lux) Accent Jobs – Willems Veranda`s
8. Sebastien Chavanel (Fra) Team Europcar
9. Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) Cofidis Le Crédit en Ligne
10. Tom Van Asbroeck (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen – Mercator
