ITALY’S Rossella Ratto won stage two of the Women’s Tour of Britain to seize the overall lead in torrential rain in Bedford.

Ratto, who rides for Estado de Mexico Faren, was the day’s main protagonist, breaking away from the peloton early on the 118.5-kilometre (76.3-mile) second stage from Hinckley before she was joined by her compatriot, Astana’s Susanna Zorzi.

The duo held off the charging peloton and Ratto, third at last year’s World Championships, won the two-up sprint to take victory.

Dutch Olympic and world champion Marianne Vos (Rabobank) led the peloton to the line in third place, six seconds behind the pair.

Leicestershire’s twice world junior champion Lucy Garner (Great Britain) raced through her hometown of Crosby earlier in the day and finished in fifth place.

Olympic silver medallist Lizzie Armitstead (Boels-Dolmans) was seventh and the first stage winner Emma Johansson (Orica-GreenEdge) was 11th.

Armitstead is the best-placed Briton overall, 14 seconds behind Ratto, going into today’s third stage, the 80.5km (50-mile) route from Felixstowe to Clacton-on-Sea where cross-winds off the North Sea could have an impact.

The race finishes in Bury St Edmunds on Sunday.