(AFP) – Italy's Matteo Trentin timed his sprint to perfection to claim victory in the second stage of the Tour of Valencia on Thursday.

Trentin of Mitchelton-Scott pulled away from Nacer Bouhanni of Cofidis and Ben Swift of Team Sky to clinch his first victory of the season while Norway's Edvald Boasson Hagen finished fifth to retain the overall lead.

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After 166 kilometres, starting in Alicante and finishing back in the centre of the city, Trentin had crossed the line in 4hrs 10min 12sec. Boasson Hagen of Dimension Data holds a five-second lead over Spain's Ion Izagirre in second.

Trentin's crucial moment came on a right-hand turn just before the finishing straight, which the European champion navigated brilliantly to come out in front of Bouhanni, who had no time to recover.

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Earlier, Dylan Groenewegen had been dropped on the final categorised climb of Alto de Carrasqueta but the Dutchman's Jumbo-Visma teammates hustled him back into contention with 15km to go.

Team Sky also pushed a cluster of riders to the front, with Swift well-placed until Trentin made the decisive move. Swift was still comfortably clear of another Italian, Sonny Colbrelli of Bahrain-Merida, in fourth.

The race continues on Friday with a 191-kilometre third stage between Quart de Poblet and Chera.