Also on the second stage of the five-day long tour in North of France the BORA – ARGON 18 team showed a very good performance. Because BORA – ARGON 18 riders took over the chase from Fontaine au Pire to Maubeuge, a group of four leading riders was caught on the last ten kilometers. From this point on the sprint trains of all teams and BORA – ARGON 18 showed themselves in complete formations in front of the field. In a hectic final which was overshadowed by much fight for positions and a fast, technical finish, Phil Bauhaus finished off the preparatory work of his team mates. In the final of the chaotic sprint the 20-year old German had to admit defeat only to Jonas Ahlstrand (Cofidis), Brian Coquard (Europcar) and Benjamin Giraud (Marseille 13 KTM). Björn Thurau was able to move up in GC to the fifth rank.

"For sure we can be satisfied with today's result. Eventually we could have been placed a bit better because in the final curve, another rider passed Phil on the inside where actually wasn't any space. At the end it was the winner. But I believe, for a young rider like Phil it is important to collect top 5 and even top 10 results. It's not a reason to celebrate yet but remarkable. As a professional rider he did another step forward today because despite the tough stage yesterday he's been among the fastest riders today. All guys did a great job in the chase and Phil turned it into a result", says Sport Director Christian Pömer after the stage.