It’s Day 2 of the Tour de France! On Sunday, the peloton face a 209-km route that mixes rolling hills with some windy stretches.
It definitely seems like a day for Mathieu van der Poel. But…with riders like Jonas Vingegaard, Wout van Aert, and Tadej Pogačar will all be ready to respond and make any selections.
Remco Evenepoel, who had a tough first day, will be pushing hard to make up for lost time, and Primož Roglič finds himself in the same boat. Pogi and Vingegaard were very attentive to some of the critical sections of Saturday’s racing–always at the front and surrounded by teammates. The hectic first week can see riders lose valuable time even before the high hills–something we saw on Saturday.
The critical action should come in the last 30 km. First up is a tough 1.1-km climb averaging 9 per cent, followed closely by another steep ascent that’s sure to test the legs. Then, just four km from the finish, an 800-m climb at 8 per cent could break things up even more before a fast descent into the closing kilometres.
The final stretch includes a 1.2-km climb that averages just under 4 per cent — but with ramps hitting nearly 10 per cent at the start. This finish could see late attacks or a fierce uphill sprint from a reduced group.However, it’s doubtful that yellow jersey Phillipsen will be there.
Saturday’s opening stage surprised a few by breaking away from the expected mass sprint. Instead, a select group of about 40 riders, including some of the top GC hopefuls, pushed hard for the yellow jersey. Philipsen took his 10th Tour stage win and claimed the leader’s jersey, while Montréal’s Guillaume Boivin was the best-placed rider from north of the border, finishing 57th.
Evenepoel, Roglič, and Almeida, lost nearly 40 seconds — not an ideal start in a race that’s still very early.
You can catch live coverage of Sunday’s stage on FloBikes.com from 7 a.m. EDT. And don’t forget to check back with Canadian Cycling Magazine for full reports and photos after the race.
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