After a heated battle on the slopes of Jaizkibel for the finish of stage 2, Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) retained the yellow jersey though his lead decreased to a slim six second ahead of his teammate Tadej Pogačar.
The battle for the general classification was at the forefront on stage 2 from Vitoria-Gasteiz to Donostia San Sebastián with time bonuses awarded on the top of Jaizkibel, the final climb of the day, and at the finish line.
First to crest the famous climb, and third on the stage, two-time winner Pogačar nabbed the bonus seconds and moved up to second in the general classification. Jayco-Alula’s Simon Yates, who was the third rider to crest, dropped one place to third overall and is also six seconds behind his twin brother.
Stage winner Victor Lafay (Cofidis) jumped two spots to fourth overall, 12 seconds down Second on the stage, while Jumbo-Visma’s Wout van Aert moved up six spots to fifth place, at 16 seconds.
Defending champion Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma), who topped the climb in second place, moved up to sixth overall, 17 seconds in arrears thanks to the three bonus seconds on the Jaizkibel.
Four more riders sit at 22 seconds in positions 7-13: Michael Woods. (Israel-Premier Tech), Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe), Mikel Landa (Bahrain-Victorious), Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers), David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) and Wilco Kelderman (Jumbo-Visma).
Three riders with the biggest move up of the day are Romain Bardet (DSM-Firmenich) up to 15th overall, Ineos Grenadiers’ Tom Pidcock, in 17th overall, and Pello Bilbao (Bahrain-Victorious) in 19th place, are all 43 seconds back.
Ben O’Connor (AG2R-Citroen), who crashed with 36km to go, lost more time and is now 1:41 down on Yates while Groupama-FDJ’s Thibaut Pinot was distanced on the final climb, and dropped to 31st, 2:47 behind the race leader.
The Tour de France classifications
Here’s a rundown of all the ongoing competitions at the Tour de France. Click here for a more comprehensive explainer, including minor competitions such as the intermediate sprints prize and the fighting spirit prize. Speaking of prizes, click here to find out how much the riders can win during the Tour de France.
Yellow Jersey/Maillot Jaune – The yellow jersey is worn by the overall race leader on the general classification who has completed the stages so far in the lowest accumulated time.
Green Jersey – The green jersey is the points classification. Riders accrue points at one of the…
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