Thomas grabs Algarve lead

Lisbon - Britain's Geraint Thomas broke away to victory in stage two of the Tour of the Algarve on Thursday and took the overall race leader's yellow jersey.

Sky rider Thomas won the 197km run from Lagoa to Monchique by a clear 19 seconds from Estonia's Rein Taarmae, with Valerion Agnoli of Italy third.

The victory also gave the Welshman a 30-second lead in the overall standings, with Taarmae second and Zdenek Stybar third at 33sec.

Friday's third stage is a 19km individual time-trial between Vila do Bispo and Cabo de Sao Vicente in Sagres.

Results

Stage:

1. Geraint Thomas (GBR) 4hr 59min 13sec, 2. Rein Taaramae (EST) at 19sec, 3. Valerio Agnoli (ITA) 23, 4. Luis Leon Sanchez (ESP) same time, 5. Michal Kwiatkowski (POL) s.t.

Overall:

1. Geraint Thomas (GBR/Sky) 9hr 12min 56sec, 2. Rein Taaramae (EST) at 30sec, 3. Zdenek Stybar (CZE) 33sec, 4. Michal Kwiatkowski (POL) same time, 5. Luis Leon Sanchez (ESP) s.t.