Germany's Heinrich Haussler, riding for the Cervelo team, prevailed in a sprint for the second stage honours in the Paris-Nice race.
Spanish rider Alberto Contador, winner of the opening day's time trial, held on to the leader's yellow jersey despite being held up when his path was blocked by a multiple pile-up less than two kilometres from the finish.
He benefited from the ruling which neutralises times when a crash involving several riders occurs three kilometres or less from the line.
Haussler comfortably held off the challenges of Australian Mark Renshaw and Mirco Lorenzetto of Italy in the sprint launched by Belgian rider Jurgen Roelandts.
The 195.5km stage was marked by an early break led by Dutch competitor Piet Rooijakkers which at one point enjoyed a seven-minute advantage on the peloton.
Of the Irish competitors, Nicolas Roche riding for the AG2R La Mondiale finished in 13th position, while Daniel Martin for the Garmin - Slipstream outfit, came home in 157th place.
Overall, Roche lies in 69th after the two stages, while Martin is 154th.
Tuesday's third stage, a 178km run, is from Orval to Vichy.
