GERT Steegmans, from Belguim, won stage two of the Tour de France from Dunkirk to Ghent, beating his team mate Tom Boonen by a length.

Only 20 riders were able to contest the sprint, after an horrendous crash in the outskirts of Ghent, just three kilometres from the finish.

The crash came in torrential rain, just seconds after a three-man breakway had been reeled in.

Cedric Herve, Ruben Perez and Marcel Sieberg escaped at the 18 kilometre mark and built a lead that reached 5:55 after 69 kilometres, but they stopped working together and were hauled back in the outskirts of Ghent.

Seconds after the capture around 160 riders were brought to an abrupt halt when one cyclist swerved, causing a dozen other riders to fall like dominoes across the full width of the road.

The yellow jersey, Fabian Cancellara, was among the fallers, injuring his right arm, while the rest of the peloton, including Britain’s Mark Cavendish, were blocked.

Race rules stipulate that if a crash occurs in the final kilometres all riders are given the same time as the winner, so Cancellara keeps the yellow jersey.

Britian’s David Millar retained the King of the Mountains jersey that he took in Kent on Sunday, after a flat stage.