French rider Sylvain Chavanel collected on Monday his second career Tour stage victory and took the yellow jersey off Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara in second stage of Tour de France.

The 31-year-old Quick Step rider clocked 4 hours, 40 minutes and 48 seconds on the rain-splattered second stage.

Lance Armstrong and several other Tour de France contenders were caught up in a series of crashes, however, Chavanel was luckily avoided from any crash by joining a small early breakaway group and then gradually distancing the main group.

"Pure happiness," said Chavanel, choking up with emotion.

In one of the spills, Armstrong and defending Tour champion Alberto Contador of Spain tumbled to the asphalt on a slippery descent from the mid-grade Stockeu Pass toward the end of the 201-kilometer run from Brussels to Spa. Both sustained scrapes but finished the stage and were ok, their teams said.

American rider Christian Vande Velde, finished eighth in 2009 Tour de France, has been forced out of this year's Tour de France after breaking two ribs and suffering eye injuries in a crash.

Aside from Chavanel's vault to first place, the top standings didn't change. Cancellara now trails the Frenchman by 2 minutes, 57 seconds, with Germany's Tony Martin in third place, 3:07 back.