Pingtun, Taiwan - Shawn Milne of the Health Net Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis once again found himself in the decisive break of the day along side teammate Frank Pipp. And while he didn't repeat his win in Stage 1, Milne was able to finish second in the 80 km Stage 2 criterium behind Kam Po Wong (Hong Kong Team) and take a time bonus on the finish line to extend his overall lead out to 25 seconds on Australian National Road Champion Darren Lapthorne (Drapac Porsche). After helping to defend Milne's lead, Pipp came to the line 13th at four seconds behind the rest of his break-mates.

The main field rolled in more than 2:30 later, effectively turning the Tour of Taiwan into a 13-rider race for the overall victory. Milne and his teammates will have to be tremendously attentive in their attempts to control the race for the remainder of the week, a difficult task when teams are limited to five riders, and Drapac Porsche has three of theirs in the top 10 overall. They include Lapthorne and big Rob McLachlan, who won multiple stages in this race last year and gave Health Net Presented by Maxxis fits en route to Kirk O'Bee's overall win here in 2006.

The Tour of Taiwan continues Tuesday with a 130 km race around Chiayi.

Notes

In addition to wearing the race leader's yellow jersey, Milne also is the holder of the green sprinter's jersey.

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