Following Visma-Lease a Bike’s crosswind attack on stage 1 of the Tour de France, which saw Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) gain time on their rivals, more GC action is expected on stage 2 to Boulogne-sur-Mer, with more time gaps and losses possible.
The final 30km includes three short but steep categorised climbs and an uphill kick to the finish, making it a puncheur’s dream. The way the Tour is raced in modern times could also bring both Vingegaard and Pogačar to the fore as they fight for every second.
Pogačar’s team weren’t perfect on the opener but Tim Wellens’ company was enough to see the world champion safely through to the line in Lille. Visma-Lease a Bike hit out first on stage 1, so a riposte from the Slovenian can surely be expected soon and his team aren’t ruling it out.
“Stage 2 is more for the puncheur. It’s a five-minute maximum effort,” UAE Team Emirates-XRG sports manager Joxean Fernández Matxin told Cyclingnews after stage 1.
“It’s a day for Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Julian Alaphilippe, Marc Hirshi (Tudor), Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike)… And of course Tadej.”
Van der Poel should certainly be up there with but Van Aert may be on duty to help and protect Vingegaard should Pogačar attempt to blast away on the steep pinches.
At last season’s Tour, Pogačar took four days to add a stage victory to his haul, with 17 now to his name at just 26. His first win of the 2025 Tour could come as early as stage 2, with gradients above 10% in the final offering up enough road for him to make the difference.
