REIMS, France,  (Reuters) – Alessandro Petacchi  produced a sparkling sprint to grab his second victory of the  2010 Tour yesterday in the 153.5-km fourth stage to Reims,  the home of champagne.

At the start of the Tour in Rotterdam, sprinter Mark  Cavendish was expected to outshine the rest of the field but it  is the Italian who has emerged as the strongest finisher in the  race so far.

“To win two stages on the Tour de France means a lot,  especially at this time in my career,” said Petacchi, also  victor of the first stage in Brussels.

“I had nothing to lose so I launched the sprint from far. I  stayed close to Cavendish, I marked (Robbie) McEwen and that was  it,” Petacchi added.

“My experience of more than 200 sprints made the  difference,” he said.

Swiss Fabian Cancellara retained his overall lead at the end  of a quiet ride in the sun after two incident-packed days marred  by crashes.

The day was also quieter for seven-times champion Lance  Armstrong until after the finish when he was booed by a  spectator at his team bus and driven away in a car.

“We couldn’t have a third (chaotic stage) in a row, it’s  good for everybody,” the American told reporters.

While Cavendish, set up for the final showdown by team mate  Mark Renshaw, was unable to move up a gear when the action  started, the other stage honours went to New Zealand’s Julian  Dean and Norway’s Edvald Boasson Hagen.

Petacchi’s form allowed him to strengthen his position as  the most successful active rider on 156 wins, including six Tour  stages.

His last laurels on the Tour dated back to 2003 when he won  four stages.

While there were bubbles for Petacchi, there was more  struggle for Cavendish.
“It’s not so much we who lost it but the others who  improved,” said Renshaw.

German Erik Zabel, Team Columbia’s adviser for sprints, said  the absence of Australian Adam Hansen, forced out of the Tour  with a broken collarbone, was a major factor.

“Adam is an engine and the team picked him up for this  speciality in doing the lead out in the last six to three  kilometres,” he said.

“The team did a great job. The only thing we missed today  was Cav’s sprint legs from last year.”

The Briton, who was the first to hit the canvas in the  Brussels stage, has a third chance in today’s 187.5-km fifth  stage between Epernay and Montargis.

But it could also be third time lucky for Petacchi.