Hushovd is three seconds off the lead of stage 1 winner Kenny Van Hummel (Vacansoleil-DCM), who moved back into the blue jersey on the strength of a second-place time bonus. Nikias Arndt (Argos-Shimano) won the 201.5-kilometer race that saw the BMC Racing Team working hard to bring back an eight-man breakaway – of which the last riders were only caught in the final 10 kilometres.

"In the last 30 kilometres, with the tailwind, it was very fast, so it was a lot of work for the team," BMC Racing Team Assistant Director Yvon Ledanois said. Hushovd said he remains optimistic he can regain the lead on the final stage, which includes both mid-race and finish line time bonuses.

"The guys had to work a lot so it's a shame that I couldn't keep the jersey," the Norwegian road champion said. "But what counts is tomorrow."