Rome, GA - The Tour de Georgia returned to a familiar script Tuesday, as the second stage played out like most of the "sprinters" stages of previous years, with a non-threatening break going early, only to be caught in the closing kilometers by the printers' teams. This scenario allowed the Health Net Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis to have a fairly straightforward day for most of it, contributing to the chase in the last quarter of the stage to help bring back the break.

As a result, Doug Ollerenshaw of Health Net Presented by Maxxis retained his second overall position.

Austin King (Jittery Joe's) instigated the day's main break with nearly 195 km remaining in the 217 km stage. He would be joined by Garrett Peltonen (Priority Health) and Glen Chadwick (Navigators). The trio built a lead that cleared nine minutes at one point. But unlike the opening stage, which held on to its lead into Macon, the peloton left nothing to chance.

Health Net Presented by Maxxis led the chase, along with Tinkoff, the team of race leader Daniele Contrini, as well as Discovery Channel trying to keep things close ahead of the climbing stages and time trial to come later this week.

As the break approached Rome, first Peltonen and then King fell off the pace, leaving Chadwick to have a dig solo. Chadwick made it into Rome with a lead, but by the time he began the first of two full trips around the finishing circuit in Rome, the peloton had him in their sites.

A series of attacks in the closing lap failed until Ivan Stevic (Toyota-United) spoiled the planned bunch sprint and got a gap two corners from the close, taking a comfortable win ahead of J.J. Haedo (CSC) and Fred Rodriguez (Predictor-Lotto). Ryder Hesjedal and Rory Sutherland of Health Net Presented by Maxxis both finished in the small front group of 14 riders who came in two seconds behind Stevic. Ollerenshaw was safely in the main bunch, which came through another three seconds later, holding his second spot, 0:29 behind Contrini. Hesjedal an dSutherland are 9th and 11th overall respectively.

Official Results