AJACCIO, Corsica — Jan Bakelants pulled away close to the finish line to win Sunday's second stage of the Tour de France and take the race leader's yellow jersey.

The Belgian made his move with a few hundred meters remaining and did enough to withstand a late charge from Slovakian sprinter Peter Sagan.

German sprinter Marcel Kittel started the day in the lead after winning Saturday's crash-marred first stage, but the rolling hills took their toll and he finished way behind.

The 97-mile trek started from Bastia and after four moderate climbs finished in Ajaccio, where French emperor and military mastermind Napoleon Bonaparte was born in 1769.

The day's last climb up Cote du Salario was much shorter than the other ones but far steeper.