As was the case yesterday, the Quick-Step Floors rider once again edged passed Slovenia's LottoNL-Jumbo rider Primož Roglič at the finish line after a 168-kilometre route from Zarautz to Bermeo.

The stage had to be shortened following landslides in the area in the weeks leading up to the race, with the Frenchman eventually finishing with a time of 4 hours 11min 47sec.

This gives the 25-year-old an overall time of 8:29.13 after two stages of the six-leg race, a slender lead of eight seconds over Roglič in second.

Spain's Gorka Izagirre, riding for Bahrain-Merida, finished third in today's stage, meaning he now sits third in the overall standings - 39 seconds behind Alaphilippe in first.

Earlier on in the day, Italy's Damiano Caruso, riding for BMC Racing Team, crashed out after colliding with the wing mirror of a parked car.

The accident hampered the 37-year-old significantly and he was unable to regain contact with the rest of the riders going into the final climb, eventually finishing in 141st place, 10 minutes behind Alaphilippe.

Caruso, however, is remaining positive going into the rest of the Tour.

"Tomorrow, a new race starts," he said according to Cycling Weekly.

"I'm still motivated and feeling good.

"Now we will change the goal for the remaining stages."

Stage three of the competition begins tomorrow with a 184.8km ride to Valdegovia.

The Tour of the Basque Country, part of the International Cycling Union World Tour, concludes on Saturday (April 7).