MADRID, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Ethan Vernon of Israel Premier Tech won a cramped sprint finish to claim the second stage of the Volta a Catalunya cycle race on Tuesday.

The British rider was able to take advantage of a good lead-out from his teammates to overtake Australian Kaden Groves of Alpecin-Deceuninck to win the 177.5-kilometer stage which ended in the town of Figueres in the northeast of the Catalan region.

Stage one winner Matthew Brennan of Visma-Lease-a-Bike showed his strength in the closing meters to finish second just centimeters behind Vernon, and he retains the overall lead going into stage three.

The stage was generally flat with a first category climb in the middle, which allowed for a rapid descent, and the climb's distance from the finish line meant a sprint finish was always likely.

Thursday's third stage is a mountainous and long 218 kilometers between Viladecans and La Molina, which should see some important movement in the overall classification as the main favorites - such as Slovenia's Rimoz Roglic of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, or Egan Bernal of INEOS-Grenadiers - come to the fore.

Finishing on Sunday with several circuits of Montjuic in the center of Barcelona, the Volta a Catalunya is one of the most important early-season stage races in Spain. Enditem

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