Giacomo Nizzolo of Italy edged Pascal Ackermann of Germany in a sprint finish to win the second stage of the Paris-Nice ©Getty Images

Giacomo Nizzolo of Italy edged Pascal Ackermann of Germany in a sprint finish to win the second stage of the Paris-Nice.

Riders took on a 166.5 kilometres route from Chevreuse to Chalette-sur-Loing for the second stage of the International Cycling Union (UCI) WorldTour race. 

Heavy rain and crosswinds meant that only 11 athletes were still in contention going into the final kilometre. 

Ackermann had the lead but faded before the line, with Nizzolo sprinting past him to finish in the winning time of 3 hours 49min 57sec.

Jasper Stuyven of Belgium completed the podium.

Cyclists battled through heavy rain and crosswinds on the Paris-Nice second stage ©Getty Images
Cyclists battled through heavy rain and crosswinds on the Paris-Nice second stage ©Getty Images

Germany's Max Schachmann, the overall race leader, was just three seconds off the mark and held on to the jersey. 

Nizzolo now sits in second, while Stuyven is third. 

Competition is due to continue tomorrow with the third stage, a 214km course from Chalette-sur-Loing to La Châtre.

The race has been impacted by the outbreak of coronavirus, with organisers introducing measures to comply with the French Government's ban on gatherings of more than 1,000 people.

Public access was restricted at the start and end of the stage, with this rule set to remain in place for the remainder of the event.