Asgreen takes Tour de Suisse lead as Sanchez nicks stage 2

Langnau im Emmental - Spanish veteran Luis Leon Sanchez of Astana won a hilly stage two of the Tour de Suisse on Sunday as Denmark's Kasper Asgreen took the overall lead.

It was a great day for Astana and Denmark as in nearby Champerey Astana's Danish captain Jakob Fuglsang won the Criterium du Dauphine.

At the Swiss race Sanchez produced an astonishing turn of pace to escape a reduced peloton with 10km to go, while Slovak star Peter Sagan charged over the finishing line at the helm of a fast moving peloton six seconds adrift.

Italian paceman Matteo Trentin, rising Deceuninck-Quick Step star Asgreen and Belgium's Olympic champion Greg Van Avermaet were all in the mix.

Asgreen, who came second on this year's Tour of Flanders and third at the Tour of California, is both overall leader and the best under-25's white jersey rider.

The 159.6km second stage was contested over three loops of a high altitude circuit featuring two mountain passes.

A select sprint involving fast riders who can also get over a hill had been predicted, and so it looked to be before the 35-year-old Sanchez made his burst.

Once his lead was established he then nursed it with the peloton closing fast at the finish line.

Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas is seventh at 18 seconds and remains firm favourite to win this eight-day race.