Australian cyclist Michael Matthews has marked his return to racing by winning stage two at Canada's Tour of Alberta.
It is Matthews' first race since the July Tour de France, which he finished despite cracked ribs.
The bonus seconds for winning the stage also gave Matthews the overall race lead.
"I wouldn't say I was flying, but it was my first opportunity to open up in a sprint like that in a while," he said in an Orica-GreenEDGE team statement.
"It was little bit foreign but I just had to take the confidence in my form at the moment."
Matthews' win was a welcome morale boost for Orica-GreenEDGE after they narrowly missed out on winning the opening stage, a team time trial.
It comes a day after Cycling Australia confirmed Matthew and Simon Gerrans would lead the national men's elite team later this month at the world road championships.
Matthews has enjoyed a strong season, taking out a stage and briefly leading the May Giro d'Italia as well as winning the points classification at Paris-Nice.
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