welcome to Velonews.com's Live Coverage of the second stage of the 66th edition of Paris-Nice, a 201-kilometer stage from Nevers to Belleville.

158 riders left Nevers this morning at 11:45. The official winner of the 2006 Tour de France Oscar Pereiro and Pierrick Fedrigo have opted not to start. Pereiro lost more than 13 minutes in yesterday's wind-blown stage. Fedrigo got caught in a crash and is suffering from the problems from that.

Although it's not nearly as bad as yesterday, the conditions remind us that Paris-Nice is the Race to the Sun and there is still quite a ways to go before the peloton hits the millionaires' beaches in Nice. At the start, conditions were cloudy and temperatures hovered in the low 50s (F). There remains a 40 percent chance of showers today, although the worst of the winter storm that slammed into France has passed. Whew. It surely was miserable out there yesterday. Of course, watching riders slog through yesterday's storm makes us a bit reluctant to focus on how bad we had it, even though our guy Andrew Hood points out that, at times, it seemed like the roof of the press room seemed like it was about to be torn off.

In Belleville, conditions are quite similar to those in Nevers, so riders will be facing a chance of rain throughout the day.

thus far has been as one might expect on a day that ends with a series of four climbs, namely early attacks by riders who pose little threat on GC. We've already seen a few of those, with Skil-Shimano's Thierry Hupond at the 41km mark with a lead now approaching two minutes.

As we said, the day offers up four climbs late in the stage:

The Category 3 Cote de la Clayette (at 141km)

The Cat. 3 Col de Champ juin (at 160km)

The Cat. 3 Col de Crie (at 167.5km)

The Cat. 2 Col du Fut d’Avenas (at 181.5km)

After those take their toll on the field, there is a fast downhill run into Belleville, so many of the more tenacious sprinters might just reattach themselves to the peloton. We'll see. It should be an interesting day.

Hupond is already 6:00 ahead of the main field. Of course, he has the prospect of 150km of roads ahead of him, so the peloton may be willing to leave him out there for a while. Let's see just how long his leash is today.

may be trying to make a good impression on the locals today. He's from around the area, born in Decines.

For those Sylvain Chomet fans in the audience today, Belleville is not anything like its fictional counterpart in that great 2003 movie, "The Triplets of Belleville." While the Belleville of cartoon fame was quite like New York City, this is a relatively small town in the departement of Rhone.

Well, okay, he just rode through it, but the Skil-Shimano rider does take top sprint points at the day's first intermediate sprint at Vitry-sur-Loire.

That leash is a little longer than we expected. Hupond is now 7:45 ahead of the main field.

Just a reminder of where the top stood as the race left Nevers this morning:


Overall standings
1. Thor Hushovd (Nor) Credit Agricole, at 2:26:55
2. Gert Steegmans (B) Quick Step, at 0:06
3. Jerome Pineau (F) Bouygues Telecom, at 0:12
4. Karsten Kroon (Nl) CSC, at 0:12
5. Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Milram, at 0:17
6. Trent Lowe (Aus) Slipstream-Chipotle, at 0:18
7. David Millar (GB) Slipstream-Chipotle, at 0:20
8. Matteo Tosatto (I) Quick Step, at 0:21
9. Luis León Sanchez (Sp) Caisse d'Epargne, at 0:22
10. Johan Van Summeren (B) Silence-Lotto, at 0:24

If you're looking for Msr. Hupond, you'll have to scroll down to 107th place on GC. He started the day 6:58 out of first, having been caught out in yesterday's big wind-triggered splits. He lost a full 6:32 yesterday.

the "chase" is being led by Thor Hushovd's Credit Agricole team. The seem content maintaining a manageable gap. The real work will come when the escapee hits the hills, no doubt.

has grown to more than 9:00 at the 66km mark.

Tim in North Carolina writes:

I am very excited to see Skil-Shimano represented in this solo breakaway. They are a young team that I really like and I hope that they continue to ride well throughout the week. What do you see as their chances for overall placing? I know they all missed out in the weather yesterday, but how about the chances for someone like Clement Lhotellerie? Thanks for the great coverage!

Teams like Skil have to make a mark by doing exactly what Hupond is today. With powerhouse squads in the race, the only notice they really get is by taking chances. It sure paid off for BMC at the Tour of California this year, no? Scandal and controversy aside, it's good to see smaller teams shake things up in these big races.

Hupond is certainly getting his share of TV time on his solo flight today. At 71km, he's extended his lead to more than 11:00. You gotta predict that at some point soon the peloton is going to ramp it up and pull this fella back in. Of course, they still have 130km in which to accomplish that feat.

Here in the U.S. it looks like USA Cycling may be close to announcing plans to stay in Colorado Springs. After dabbling with offers to move to a number of different communities, The Colorado Springs Gazette reports that the governing body appears to be getting a $690,000 building from a local developer in the Springs.

The paper reports that "USA Cycling was given the deed to a 1.91-acre property for its 48-employee headquarters at no cost by Nor'Wood Development, the real estate company's president said Monday."

The Fed has been housed in a deteriorating building that has, in its previous lives, served as NORAD headquarters and a local hospital. That building has been slated to be torn down and USA Cycling has been hunting for a home since that decision was announced.

isn't amounting to much. Hupond has extended his lead to 12:00.

is much, much easier than that final kicker into Nevers was yesterday. There is very little elevation change over the final kilometers and only a very gentle slope over the final 1000 meters into Belleville. This is not a new stage and despite the succession of climbs near the end, it has traditionally been a sprinters' finish in Belleville. Those fast-twitch guys dropped on the climb have a full 20km of descent and flat to rejoin the peloton on the way into town. This could provide Thor Hushovd a chance to stay in yellow for another day.

Of course, that's assuming that the sprinters' teams don't forget that there's a lone escapee off the front right now. Hupond is holding on to a 12-minute lead as he heads toward the feedzone for a little mid-day snackage.

To bring you up to speed, Skil-Shimano's Thierry Hupond has been off the front since about the 30km mark.

Race leader Thor Hushovd's Credit Agricole team is giving him a big ol' leash. Last time check we saw gave him more than a 12-minute gap.

I think it's one of those Tuesday mornings when the boys in the peloton just can't get into the work week. Even Hump Day seems like a long way away. Maybe they will start getting productive after their coffee break/I mean first feed zone.

At the feed zone in Digoin, Hupond has a 13:40 gap. He could stop and have a sit-down meal.

Hupond is passing through Paray-le-Monial, meaning he's at about the 105km mark. He's been away since the 30km marker.

VeloDog Patrick O'Grady is always keeping an eye on the USA Cycling folks down in Colorado Springs. He says that should USAC shift its HQ from the OTC to Delmonico Drive, CEO Steve Johnson's riding opportunities will improve immensely.

Straight out the door he'll be able to choose between the hilly ride up Delmonico to Woodmen and thence through Mountain Shadows to the Garden of the Gods; the even hiller loops around the U.S. Air Force Academy, easily accessible via Woodmen to Vincent to Academy Boulevard; or the leisurely Pikes Peak Greenway, an off-street path that extends all the way to Palmer Lake.

"Sure beats Bijou to Platte and the Tour de Trash Trucks to Pikes Peak International Raceway and back," Pat says.

Hupond is at 14.45. guess the chase group took a sit-down, too.

The men in the chase are probably still draining the water out of their shoes from yesterday. I'll bet the team mechanics had a late night.

We will have the second sprint of the day at the 128km mark, at Saint Christophe-en-Brionnais. I would say Hupond's got a good shot at getting that one, too.

It's been raining lightly all day, but conditions are much improved over Monday's weather fiasco. There's a slight westerly breeze, but nothing approaching the 60-70kph winds of yesterday.

Our man Andrew Hood drove the course this morning. He says though the course gets bumpy toward the end, with four rated climbs in the final 60km, it doesn't look hard enough to keep the sprinters at bay.

The profile definitely looks harder on paper, Hood says. The final Cat. 2 climb is far enough away from the finish at 20km to give the sprinters plenty of time to reel in any attacking riders.

What will be tricky is the top 5km coming off the final day's climb on the Cat. 2 Col du Fut d'Avenas, Hood says.

The descent is buried in thick fog and the VN crew couldn't go faster than 60kph down the descent without risking driving into a cow pasture. The road is wide open and not very technical, but the mist and fog will play a factor. The remainder of the run into Belleville is on smooth roads, so it will take a heroic effort to fend off the main pack.

Back in the peloton, an Ag2r gent stops for a quick wheel change — Sylvain Calzati, looks like.

Hushovd's team is leading the pack, in their black rain capes ... the gap is over 15 minutes.

Silence-Lotto sport director Hendrik Rendant said the team will rally around Yaroslav Popovych after Evans lost big time yesterday:

"Cadel crashed in a bad moment, just when the echelons were forming. It took a big effort for him to get back and that cost him in the final stages of the race. Losing that much time in GC makes it complicated, even for Cadel on Ventoux! Popovych just made it to the front group in the final 8km when he bridged across. So now we will ride for him. He's also feeling good."

For the first time in a while, the chase has trimmed the gap a hair - it's 14.45 now.

This morning Slipstream-Chipotle DS Johnny Weltz said he was satisfied that David Millar and Trent Lowe worked into the lead group on Monday:

"It was a stage where you could lose everything. Some teams didn't have anyone there. We would have liked to have had one more guy up front, but with Millar and Lowe, that's good to keep our options. Today will be another hard stage."

The leader is in his smart yellow rain jacket again. He's gone back to the team car for a minute.

Our leader is looking relaxed. He's not killing himself to maintain his lead.

Hupond got the points and time bonus at the 128km mark.

We are within 10km of the summit of the first climb. the latest time gap is 14.12

That means Hupond has about 62km to go to the finish

Its letting up a bit. Some of the riders are taking off their rain jackets. It's still cool, though, we have long sleeves and leg warmers throughout.

His gap is under 14 minutes now and he is approaching the ascent. Meanwhile, Quick Step is joining in on the chase. The peloton is noticeably waking up.

The two are separated by just 6 seconds on GC and are eying each other coming into the sprint ...

Hushovd gets the second-place time bonus at the sprint, increasing his gap to 7 secs on Steegmans.

that's the gap at the second sprint.

Hupond is crossing some tricky wet railroad tracks just after a left hand corner. He handles it nicely.

the gap is coming down rapidly. Hupond is now on the climb

Hupond is not pedaling squares, exactly, but he doesn't look as comfortable as he did just a few minutes ago.

big crash in the peloton.

some CSC and Slipstream riders are down

and a Saunier Duval rider is not getting up quickly

The crash was on a left hand turn and seemed to start about midway in the pack, so the men at the front of the pack came through ok

a few riders are in no man's land, trying to get back. the crash happened just as the group was approaching the ascent

One of the big favorites who went down is with a group of 5 or 6 riders and one teammate, chasing

for the peloton.

the three are gapped behind a group of 40. the front group is riding steady - and carefully - on the slippery roads

the helicopter shows two distinct groups starting up the climb. They might be able to close it before the summit

Remember our leader on the road? His gap is just over 10 minutes now.

The peloton is over the summit. Second and third place KOM points go to:

Clement Lhotellerie (SKS) and Yoann Le Boulanger (FDJ), respectively. Hupond got 1st place, of course.

The 3rd category Col de Champ Juin is next up at the 160km mark.

The three caught on to the leaders on the descent.

Frank Schleck has NOT, however, rejoined the leaders. he's close to 2 minutes down

Hupond is climbing, but his gap is coming down.

but not what you'd call a big spectator turnout on these narrow streets on this rainy day

Hupond has 43.5km to go. He's working fairly hard, rolling up a slight incline on the drops ..

the descents could be tricky ...

Our Guy Andrew Hood, who drove the course early this a.m, says the top 5km of the last descent is the trickiest. We've still got a couple of climbs before we get there.

He takes a new bike and gets rolling

He's over the 3rd category col de Champ Juin and, unofficially, has earned the KOM jersey.

Everytime I see his Skil-Shimano kit, I get sentimental for Sean Kelly's glory days on the Skil-Sem team ...

Hupond is taking no risks on this slippery decent. his gap is 7:01. He's wearing shorts and long sleeves, while most of the pack still has rain jackets on, by the way.

here's a q from a loyal reader, we'll see if Charles Pelkey, our resident doping expert, can take this one:

"What's the latest on the biological passport? I heard they hired someone to manage the program. Has there been any changes to the testing regimens the athletes are put through, either in UCI sanctioned or ASO events like this one?--Antoine Rollin, Atlanta GA

The tests are being conducted by the French Federation, which is a signator to the WADA Code.

The ASO/UCI split, however, would not prevent the UCI from conducting 'out-of-competition' tests, Charles says

With about 35km to go to the finish, the pack is winding down a somewhat tricky descent, led by a Quick Step rider. Hushovd is in third or fourth position.

he's hurting. But it is the hardest climb. When he gets over the top he'll have just 15km to go

taillights are disappearing into the fog in a couple hundred meters, maybe less

the gap is coming down. I misspoke earlier- he was on the next-to-last climb, the Col de Crie

Rabobank's Juan Flecha is attacking the pack, maybe trying for some KOM points? Or a stage win? It's a good day for a classic rider.

Hupond is over the col, 33.5 km to go

Flecha still has a gap on the descent. He has about 22 seconds on the peloton. He's 4:18 behind Hupond.

his gap is increasing, for the first time in a while, to 4:45. Flecha is not making much headway. Hupond has 3 or 4km to go to the start of the last climb

for Hupond

He's looking a lot fresher than Hupond. Flecha's got his hands on the tops near the stem, elbows in, looking smooth and aero.

Flecha now 3:48 behind

Hupond is climbing, not looking too sprightly. He's just hoping to get over the summit.

Hupond is 4.02 in front of the pack with 22km to go. Flecha is 3.12 behind the French rider.

the pack is within sight of Flecha -- that gap must have been a mistake ... Quick Step is at the front

They are hoping to set up Steegmans again?

a Saunier Duval rider is trying to bridge to Flecha

by the Saunier Duval rider - still can't ID him in the fog

He's trying to get rolling in the big ring again, it's not coming easy. He's got a tricky descent to start out, then a wide open roll into Bellevilles. His gap was just 1.06 at the top

think it fooled Hupond, too, he's looking back.

Hupond might not even get the KOM

we'll see if he can hang on on the descent

Benat Itntxausti is the Saunier rider- he took the KOM 1st place. Flecha second, then Hupond

he's safely in the lead peloton. He may be able to hang on until the finish, which would be nice for him ...

If nothing else, the young French rider locked up the KOM competition for the day. He'll wear polka dots tomorrow for the stage from Fleurie to Saint-Étienne.

the yellow jersey (jacket, really) has a 10 second gap on the descent

he's a descending fool, with his chest on the bars, almost Obree-like on the straights

Hushovd has 15 seconds on the peloton as he winds through a village. A lone Quick Step rider is chasing

But Hushovd has 20 seconds

the chase is on, but it's disorganized; Hushovd really took the race by surprise with this late attack

surprise, he's given it up. He's taking off his long sleeves and handing it over. Maybe he'll give it a go in the sprint?

Hushovd took some food and he's sitting in the front group

Hushovd, Steegmans are there ...

It's just four riders with a gap. Chavanel is there, they have 17 seconds

the four are working well together

1 km to go, they have 20 seconds

the four are teasing each other ...

they might get sucked up

his second stage in a row!

his third victory of the year. Hushovd was second

Frank Schleck and some other favorites are still coming in at almost 3 minutes back

Steegmans is turning into an uphill sprint specialist, but Hushovd maintains his narrow GC lead with his second place at the finish and his second at the early intermediate sprint. Hushovd also leads the points competition.

Thanks for following along. Check in with VeloNews.com in a few for a complete report, photos and results. And join us here again for tomorrow's live coverage.