Aussie Davis takes stage two and the overall lead in Tour Down Under

AUSTRALIAN'S Allan Davis burst home to claim victory in stage two of the Tour Down Under and move into the overall lead at the Adelaide Hills.

The win on the 145km section from Hahndorf - that featured three 20km loops through Stirling - means Davis, 28, goes ahead of stage one winner and defending champion Andre Greipel of Germany.

Daivs is the only rider to have participated in all 11 editions of the six-stage race and is competing in his first race for new team Quick Step.

"This is my first race for the team, we came here with the objective of winning a stage and whatever happens now is a bonus," he said.

"The team did a great job here today and I want to thank them and the management for the trust they've put in me.

"With 250 metres to go I thought, 'stuff it, I'm going', and I just put the head down and concentrated on the finish line and hoped to get there ahead of anyone else.

Fellow Australian Graeme Brown was second and Swiss Martin Elmiger, the 2007 race champion, was third.

While seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Amrstrong, making his comeback in Australia, attacked a couple of times towards the end of the stage, but was never allowed to gain too much of an advantage.

It's going to take a while to adapt to race speed, I think today proved that. In the race it's fast, the guys are strong, it's a suffer-fest,"

"I like to suffer... If I wasn't enjoying it I would pack it in."