LAUSANNE: Switzerland’s Michael Albasini won the second stage of the Tour of Switzerland on Thursday to also earn the overall race leader’s jersey.

The Orica GreenEDGE rider outsprinted Frenchman Tony Hurel and Italy’s Giacomo Nizzolo at the end of a 166.5km stage from Sion to Montreux.

Poland’s Michal Kwiatkowski had begun the day in the leader’s yellow jersey but lost out to Albasini due to time bonuses on the finishing line.

Albasini, 33, had also won Wednesday’s first stage in another mass bunch sprint and the 20 seconds he gained in winning those two stages have now given him a 5sec lead over OPQS’s Kwiatkowski in the standings, with Lithuania’s Ramunas Navardauskas third a further 5sec back.

The Swiss rider’s victory continued Australian outfit Orica’s recent good form after Simon Gerrans won Sunday’s Liege-Bastogne-Liege race.

Kwiatkowski, who was fifth in Montreux, has also maintained his good form since the Ardennes Classics — he was fifth at the Amstel Gold Race and third in both the Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege — winning Tuesday’s opening prologue.

Friday’s third stage takes the peloton over 180km from Le Bouveret to Aigle with four brutal first category climbs along the way.

Tour de France champion Chris Froome, 10th on Thursday’s stage, is currently eighth overall at 19sec but will be hoping to test his legs in the mountains on Friday after a difficult last month blighted by injury and illness.

Viviani pips Cavendish

In Istanbul, Italian Elia Viviani edged out Briton Mark Cavendish in a sprint finish to win the fifth stage of the Tour of Turkey in Bodrum on Thursday.

Estonia’s Rein Taaramae maintained his lead in the overall standings following the 178km run from Marmaris.

Cannondale’s Viviani denied Cavendish a fourth stage victory in this 50th edition of the race after coming off the OPQS rider’s wheel in the finale. Italy’s Kristian Sbaragli was third.

Young Briton Adam Yates is second in the overall classification at six seconds with Frenchman Romain Hardy 38sec back.

Nine riders took off in the day’s successful breakaway and at one point counted a gap of more than five minutes to the peloton.

But they were hauled in less than 10km from the finish, after which it was up to the sprinters.

Friday’s sixth stage takes the peloton over a hilly 182km from Bodrum to Selcuk.