The Quick-Step Floors team member came out on top over the flat 203 kilometres course from German city Düsseldorf to Liege in Belgium, winning the leg in a time of 4 hours 37min 6sec.

Kittel claimed his 10th Tour stage win of his career in front of FDJ’s French sprinter Arnaud Demare and Lotto-Soudal’s German Andre Greipel. 

Great Britain's Mark Cavendish of Team Dimension Data was fourth.

"I don’t know what to say," said Kittel.

"I’m super happy that I got this victory today.

"The good thing was I came pretty late, I could jump from the wheels.

"I just thought I need to take my own way, and I was just jumping from wheel to wheel and in the end I could go to the front, and I am super relieved."

Team Sky's defending champion Chris Froome crashed in the wet conditions.

The Briton went down around 30km from the finish, but recovered to secure a 37th place finish.

The crash came on a right turn off of a roundabout as the wet and slippery conditions seemed to follow the race from yesterday's opening time trial.

Great Britain's Geraint Thomas, Froome's team-mate, retained the yellow jersey.

Despite finishing in 35th place today Thomas, who won yesterday's time trial, leads Switzerland's rider Stefan Kung by 5sec a time of 4:53.10.

Kittel is a second further back in third with Froome 12sec behind Thomas in sixth.

Action is due to continue tomorrow with stage three, which will see cyclists travel 212.5km from Verviers in Belgium to the French town of Longwy.