Matthews increases Paris-Nice lead after tumultuous finish

Matthews increases Paris-Nice lead after tumultuous finish

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 6:54 p.m. ET

COMMENTRY, France (AP) Race leader Michael Matthews won the second stage of Paris-Nice on Tuesday after Nacer Bouhanni was penalized for deviating from his line in the final sprint.

It was Matthews' second stage victory in three days after winning Sunday's prologue.

Matthews crossed the finish line in second position at the end of the 213.5-kilometer ride between Contres and Commentry in central France, but Bouhanni was sanctioned for improperly blocking his Australian rival.

Bouhanni leaned on Matthews as they bumped into each other and looked like they might fall. They shouted at each other after the finish.

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With the time bonus, Matthews now leads Tom Dumoulin of the Netherlands by 14 seconds, with Patrick Bevin of New Zealand in third place, 19 seconds off the pace.

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