Britain’s Mark Cavendish, riding for Columbia, won the second stage of the ‘Trois Jours de La Panne’ cycle race on Wednesday.

Cavendish saw off Australia’s Robbie McEwen and Italy’s Francesco Chicchi in a sprint finish.

Italy’s Katusha racer Filippo Pozzato, who won the opening stage, retained the overall lead following the 219km run from Zottegem to Coxyde.

“It was a long day for the team, who worked very hard. I’d have liked to help one of my teammates win it – but with McEwen in my slipstream that wasn’t possible. I had to sprint myself to win it,” explained Cavendish, following his seventh win of the season which added to last month’s triumph in the Milan-San Remo.

Thursday’s stage is a 112km race followed by a 14km time trial around La Panne.

Team Columbia Driving The Pace To Capture Another Cavendish Win
Photo’s by: CorVos Pro