 Former leader Stefano Zanini is now several minutes behind |
Mauricio Ardila of Colombia took the Tour of Britain lead after winning the second stage from Leeds to Sheffield. Ardila crossed the finishing line one second ahead of Belgium's Nick Nuyens and Italy's Paolo Savoldelli.
The trio were part of a seven-man attack which went clear on the tough climbs of the Peak District.
British national champion Roger Hammond finished 11th and is now 13th overall while Olympic hero Bradley Wiggins is 79th after finishing 20 minutes behind.
Wiggins struggled to adjust from the track conditions, where he won three medals in Athens, to the road.
But Ardila replaced Stefano Zanini as race leader after the Italian finished several minutes behind in the pack.
Thanks to a time bonus for winning the stage, Ardila is now five seconds ahead of Nuyens in the overall standings.
Ardila grew up in the Colombian mountains near Medellin and so enjoyed the steep slopes of Holme Moss and the Snake Pass in the heart of the Peak District.
He attacked the rest of the breakaway 500 metres from the finish.
"The riders hesitated for a second and so I attacked because I thought I'd have more chance of winning alone rather than waiting for the sprint finish," he said.
"The climbs in Britain are very different to those near my home in Colombia.
"I live at an altitude of 1,700 metres and the climbs last for 10kms.
"Here they're shorter but steeper - but I like them."
Friday's third stage from Bakewell to Nottingham is over a distance of 119.5 miles and includes loops round Derby and Leicester.
The Tour of Britain ends in London on Sunday with a circuit race around Westminster.
Tour of Britain stage two:
1 Mauricio Ardila (Colombia, Chocolade Jacques) 4 hours 26 minutes 26 seconds
2 Nick Nuyens (Belgium, Quick Step) at 1 second
3 Paolo Savoldelli (Italy, T-Mobile)
4 Eric Leblacher (France, Credit Agricole)
5 Jose Luis Rubiera (Spain, US Postal Service)
6 Nicki Sorensen (Denmark, CSC)
Tour of Britain overall standings:
1 Mauricio Ardila (Colombia, Chocolade Jacques) 9 hours 27 minutes 39 seconds
2 Nick Nuyens (Belgium, Quick Step) at 5 seconds
3 Eric Leblacher (France, Credit Agricole) same time
4 Paolo Savoldelli (Italy, T-Mobile) at 7 seconds
5 Christopher Baldwin (US, Navigators) at 9 seconds
6 Jose Luis Rubiera (Spain, US Postal Service) at 11 seconds
Selected British overall:
13 Roger Hammond (Mr Bookmaker.com) at 20 seconds
24 Tom Southam (Great Britain)
28 Charly Wegelius (Great Britain) both at same time
31 Russel Downing (Great Britain) at nine minutes 13 seconds
79 Bradley Wiggins (Credit Agricole) at 20 minutes 35 seconds
MMIX
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