Former world and Olympic champion Bart Brentjens picked up his first win of the 2010 Croc Trophy on the 71km second stage from Lake Tinaroo to Granite Gorge.

Austrian professional road cyclists Rene Haselbacher and Philipp Ludescher attacked early but were caught on the 10km climb to Mount Edith.

And that left Holland’s Brentjens, defending champion and stage one winner Urs Huber and Cory Wallace of Canada to break free.

The trio built up a six minute lead but Brentjens, who claimed Olympic gold in Atlanta in 1996, claimed the sprint finish, with Huber eight second back and Wallace a further 10 seconds adrift.

“The uphill was very tough again because of the wet and muddy terrain, but overall it was a very fast stage,” said Brentjens.

Huber, who leads Brentjens in the overall classification by four minutes, 29 seconds, added: “It was definitely an easier stage than yesterday. I had some trouble finding my pace, however, we worked together well and I’m happy with my second place.”

Meanwhile, Australia’s Abby McLennan romped to victory to pick up back-to-back stage wins in the women’s race, coming home 28 minutes ahead of compatriots Nancy Caceres and Lauretta Howarth.

“I trained way more than in 2009. To win the Crocodile Trophy would be fantastic. But a lot can still happen,” said McLennan.

Stage three of 10 sees the riders tackle 144km from Granite Gorge to Irvinebank.