Lars Boom (Blanco) sustained his excellent opening to the 2013 season by winning stage 2 of the Tour du Haut Var, and Arthur Vichot (FDJ) took overall victory in an exhilarating culmination of two days of exciting racing.

Originally part of a 15-man group that broke clear halfway through the stage, Boom initiated the key move when he jumped clear with Daniel Oss (BMC) with 60km still to race. That duo was joined shortly afterwards by Amael Moinard (BMC), Laurens ten Dam (Blanco), Pierrick Fédrigo (FDJ), Jean-Marc Bideau (Bretagne – Séché) and Guillaume Bonnafond (Ag2r-La Mondiale), and they built up a maximum lead of 3:30 over the peloton.

This breach was cut to approximately a minute as the riders approached the final climb of the day, the Côte de Tuilières, and in the closing kilometres, the pack swept up the escapees.

Two km from the end, Boom mustered sufficient strength to show aggression once again, dragging along Oss, Fédrigo and Ten Dam, as well as the attentive Arthur Vichot, who made it across from the main bunch.

The 5 man group accordingly established a lead of 14 seconds which they managed to hold until the finish, and even though Boom defeated Vichot in the sprint to claim the stage honours, the Frenchman had done enough to secure overall victory and dethrone yesterday’s winner, Thor Hushovd (BMC), who took the bunch sprint to finish 6th on the day.

Results of Stage 2
1 Lars Boom - Blanco Pro Cycling Team 05.18.06
2 Arthur Vichot - FDJ
3 Daniel Oss - BMC Racing Team
4 Laurens Ten Dam - Blanco Pro Cycling Team
5 Pierrick Fedrigo - FDJ 0.04
6 Thor Hushovd - BMC Racing Team 0.14
7 Samuel Dumoulin - AG2R La Mondiale
8 Egoitz Garcia Echeguibel - Cofidis, Solutions Credits
9 Justin Jules - La Pomme Marseille
10 Julien Simon - Sojasun
11 Mathieu Drujon - BigMat-Auber 93
12 Cyrille Patoux - Roubaix Lille Metropole
13 Heinrich Haussler - IAM Cycling
14 Nicolas Roche - Team Saxo-Tinkoff
15 Vincent Jerome - Team Europcar
16 Romain Bardet - AG2R La Mondiale
17 Benoît Vaugrenard - FDJ
18 Stefan Denifl - IAM Cycling
19 Maxime Monfort - RadioShack Leopard
20 Lars Petter Nordhaug - Blanco Pro Cycling Team
21 Rudy Molard - Cofidis, Solutions Credits
22 Alexis Vuillermoz - Sojasun
23 Thomas Rohregger - RadioShack Leopard
24 Rémi Pauriol - Sojasun
25 Mikael Cherel - AG2R La Mondiale
26 Juan Jose Cobo Acebo - Movistar Team
27 Marcel Wyss - IAM Cycling
28 Hubert Dupont - AG2R La Mondiale
29 Gustav Larsson - IAM Cycling
30 Lachlan Norris - Team Raleigh
31 Thibaut Pinot - FDJ
32 Rein Taaramae - Cofidis, Solutions Credits
33 Tom Jelte Slagter - Blanco Pro Cycling Team
34 Fabrice Jeandesboz - Sojasun
35 Rudy Kowalski - Roubaix Lille Metropole
36 Chris Anker Sörensen - Team Saxo-Tinkoff
37 Jean-Marc Bideau - Bretagne-Seche Environnement
38 Thierry Hupond - Team Argos-Shimano
39 Manuel Quinziato - BMC Racing Team
40 Christophe Le Mevel - Cofidis, Solutions Credits 0.42
41 Mathias Frank - BMC Racing Team
42 Théo Vimpere - BigMat-Auber 93 1.06
43 Sylvain Georges - AG2R La Mondiale 1.38
44 Alexandre Geniez - FDJ 2.14
45 Flavien Dassonville - BigMat-Auber 93 2.21
46 Dimitri Le Boulch - BigMat-Auber 93
47 Mark Christian - Team Raleigh
48 Steven Tronet - BigMat-Auber 93
49 Jean-Pierre Drucker - Accent Jobs-Wanty
50 Maarten Tjallingii - Blanco Pro Cycling Team
51 Michel Kreder - Garmin-Sharp
52 Romain Zingle - Cofidis, Solutions Credits
53 Grégoire Tarride - La Pomme Marseille
54 Anthony Geslin - FDJ
55 Yann Huguet - Team Argos-Shimano
56 Arnaud Gerard - Bretagne-Seche Environnement
57 Florian Vachon - Bretagne-Seche Environnement
58 Angel Madrazo Ruiz - Movistar Team
59 Giovanni Visconti - Movistar Team
60 Julien Duval - Roubaix Lille Metropole 2.49
61 Sébastien Turgot - Team Europcar
62 Georg Preidler - Team Argos-Shimano
63 Kevin Lalouette - Roubaix Lille Metropole
64 David Veilleux - Team Europcar
65 Moreno Hofland - Blanco Pro Cycling Team
66 Dominik Nerz - BMC Racing Team
67 Floris Smeyers - Verandas Willems
68 Thomas Voeckler - Team Europcar
69 Cédric Pineau - FDJ
70 Guillaume Bonnafond - AG2R La Mondiale
71 Blel Kadri - AG2R La Mondiale
72 Nicolas Vogondy - Accent Jobs-Wanty 5.28
73 Christophe Riblon - AG2R La Mondiale
74 Niels Vandyck - Verandas Willems
75 Rob Britton - Team Raleigh 5.35
76 Bert De Backer - Team Argos-Shimano 8.08
77 Romain Lemarchand - Cofidis, Solutions Credits
78 Florian Guillou - Bretagne-Seche Environnement
79 Matthieu Sprick - Team Argos-Shimano
80 Tobias Ludvigsson - Team Argos-Shimano
81 James Vanlandschoot - Accent Jobs-Wanty
82 José Gonçalves - La Pomme Marseille
83 Sébastien Reichenbach - IAM Cycling
84 Armindo Fonseca - Bretagne-Seche Environnement
85 Antoine Lavieu - La Pomme Marseille
86 Thomas Damuseau - Team Argos-Shimano
87 Sylvester Szmyd - Movistar Team
88 Laurent Didier - RadioShack Leopard
89 Benjamin King - RadioShack Leopard
90 Evgeny Petrov - Team Saxo-Tinkoff
91 Geoffroy Lequatre - Bretagne-Seche Environnement
92 Amaël Moinard - BMC Racing Team
93 Jens Voigt - RadioShack Leopard 11.23
94 Alex Howes - Garmin-Sharp
95 Jacob Rathe - Garmin-Sharp
96 Dominic Klemme - IAM Cycling
97 Evaldas Siskevicius - Sojasun 15.44
98 Jean Marc Marino - Sojasun
99 Alexandre Blain - Team Raleigh 22.19

General classification
1 Arthur Vichot - FDJ 09.28
2 Lars Boom - Blanco Pro Cycling Team
3 Laurens Ten Dam - Blanco Pro Cycling Team
4 Pierrick Fedrigo - FDJ 0.04
5 Thor Hushovd - BMC Racing Team 0.14
6 Samuel Dumoulin - AG2R La Mondiale
7 Egoitz Garcia Echeguibel - Cofidis, Solutions Credits
8 Justin Jules - La Pomme Marseille
9 Julien Simon - Sojasun
10 Mathieu Drujon - BigMat-Auber 93
11 Nicolas Roche - Team Saxo-Tinkoff
12 Vincent Jerome - Team Europcar
13 Romain Bardet - AG2R La Mondiale
14 Maxime Monfort - RadioShack Leopard
15 Cyrille Patoux - Roubaix Lille Metropole
16 Heinrich Haussler - IAM Cycling
17 Alexis Vuillermoz - Sojasun
18 Tom Jelte Slagter - Blanco Pro Cycling Team
19 Stefan Denifl - IAM Cycling
20 Lars Petter Nordhaug - Blanco Pro Cycling Team
21 Rudy Molard - Cofidis, Solutions Credits
22 Hubert Dupont - AG2R La Mondiale
23 Thibaut Pinot - FDJ
24 Fabrice Jeandesboz - Sojasun
25 Chris Anker Sörensen - Team Saxo-Tinkoff
26 Juan Jose Cobo Acebo - Movistar Team
27 Gustav Larsson - IAM Cycling
28 Thomas Rohregger - RadioShack Leopard
29 Rein Taaramae - Cofidis, Solutions Credits
30 Rémi Pauriol - Sojasun
31 Jean-Marc Bideau - Bretagne-Seche Environnement
32 Alexandre Geniez - FDJ
33 Daniel Oss - BMC Racing Team 0.17
34 Mikael Cherel - AG2R La Mondiale 0.31
35 Marcel Wyss - IAM Cycling 0.38
36 Christophe Le Mevel - Cofidis, Solutions Credits 0.42
37 Mathias Frank - BMC Racing Team
38 Thierry Hupond - Team Argos-Shimano 0.43
39 Lachlan Norris - Team Raleigh 1.05
40 Manuel Quinziato - BMC Racing Team
41 Benoît Vaugrenard - FDJ 1.22
42 Théo Vimpere - BigMat-Auber 93 1.39
43 Giovanni Visconti - Movistar Team 2.21
44 Arnaud Gerard - Bretagne-Seche Environnement
45 Jean-Pierre Drucker - Accent Jobs-Wanty
46 Angel Madrazo Ruiz - Movistar Team 2.38
47 Sylvain Georges - AG2R La Mondiale 2.48
48 Dominik Nerz - BMC Racing Team 2.49
49 Guillaume Bonnafond - AG2R La Mondiale
50 Sébastien Turgot - Team Europcar
51 Thomas Voeckler - Team Europcar
52 Moreno Hofland - Blanco Pro Cycling Team
53 Steven Tronet - BigMat-Auber 93 2.50
54 Mark Christian - Team Raleigh 2.54
55 Anthony Geslin - FDJ
56 Yann Huguet - Team Argos-Shimano 3.06
57 David Veilleux - Team Europcar 3.10
58 Romain Zingle - Cofidis, Solutions Credits 3.12
59 Floris Smeyers - Verandas Willems 3.13
60 Georg Preidler - Team Argos-Shimano 3.18
61 Cédric Pineau - FDJ 3.40
62 Kevin Lalouette - Roubaix Lille Metropole 3.49
63 Michel Kreder - Garmin-Sharp 3.55
64 Grégoire Tarride - La Pomme Marseille
65 Florian Vachon - Bretagne-Seche Environnement
66 Nicolas Vogondy - Accent Jobs-Wanty 5.28
67 Niels Vandyck - Verandas Willems
68 Flavien Dassonville - BigMat-Auber 93 6.31
69 Blel Kadri - AG2R La Mondiale 6.59
70 Christophe Riblon - AG2R La Mondiale 7.02
71 Romain Lemarchand - Cofidis, Solutions Credits 8.08
72 Armindo Fonseca - Bretagne-Seche Environnement
73 Antoine Lavieu - La Pomme Marseille
74 Amaël Moinard - BMC Racing Team
75 Rudy Kowalski - Roubaix Lille Metropole 8.30
76 Geoffroy Lequatre - Bretagne-Seche Environnement 8.35
77 Bert De Backer - Team Argos-Shimano 8.37
78 José Gonçalves - La Pomme Marseille
79 Tobias Ludvigsson - Team Argos-Shimano
80 Laurent Didier - RadioShack Leopard 9.08
81 Florian Guillou - Bretagne-Seche Environnement 9.42
82 Sébastien Reichenbach - IAM Cycling
83 Sylvester Szmyd - Movistar Team
84 Evgeny Petrov - Team Saxo-Tinkoff
85 Rob Britton - Team Raleigh 9.45
86 Maarten Tjallingii - Blanco Pro Cycling Team 10.37
87 Julien Duval - Roubaix Lille Metropole 11.05
88 Dimitri Le Boulch - BigMat-Auber 93 12.11
89 Alex Howes - Garmin-Sharp 12.14
90 Benjamin King - RadioShack Leopard 12.18
91 Thomas Damuseau - Team Argos-Shimano 14.17
92 Dominic Klemme - IAM Cycling 15.33
93 Jacob Rathe - Garmin-Sharp
94 Jean Marc Marino - Sojasun 17.18
95 James Vanlandschoot - Accent Jobs-Wanty 17.58
96 Matthieu Sprick - Team Argos-Shimano
97 Jens Voigt - RadioShack Leopard 19.39
98 Evaldas Siskevicius - Sojasun 24.00
99 Alexandre Blain - Team Raleigh 32.09