Montargis: German Max Kanter sprinted to victory in the Paris-Nice second stage at Montargis on Monday as American Luke Lamperti kept the leader's yellow jersey.
Astana's Kanter powered clear of New Zealander Laurence Pithie and Belgian Jasper Stuyven in a nervy finale as the peloton caught Dutch rider Daan Hoole late after he had led for the final 20 kilometres.
"Am I dreaming? I must be dreaming, right?" exclaimed Kanter after crossing the finish line, having achieved, at 28, just the third victory of his career and the most significant.
"I'm so happy. I've been waiting for this for so long. It's a dream to win here, this race has such prestige."
Traditionally the first two stages of the "Race to the Sun" intended as a condensed version of the Tour de France, are destined for mass sprint finishes.
But this year, the elite sprinters have opted to compete instead in the rival Tirreno-Adriatico stage race through Italy.
This has created unexpected opportunities for those who work behind the scenes and have been suddenly thrust into the spotlight.
On Sunday, Lamberti secured his first World Tour victory, narrowly retaining the race lead on Monday.
"Before coming here, I had a tough few weeks; I was sick," said Kanter.
"Even yesterday, I really wasn't feeling well. But sometimes things just fall into place, and today was my day."
The favourites, led by double Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard, should show themselves in Tuesday's third stage, a 23.5km team time-trial between Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire and Pouilly-sur-Loire in central France.
Spaniard Juan Ayuso, considered Vingegaard's main rival for overall victory on Sunday in Nice, grabbed four bonus seconds in the intermediate sprint on Monday.
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