Stage 2 Victory in Boulogne-sur-Mer: Mathieu van der Poel Edges Tadej Pogacar for Triumph
In a thrilling finish at Boulogne-sur-Mer, Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) clinched his second consecutive stage victory in the 2025 Tour de France. The stage, marked by a series of short, punchy climbs, was an uphill sprint that tested the mettle of the world's top cyclists.
The stage began under rainy conditions, with a 15-minute delay due to traffic jams. Despite the challenging weather, the race was packed with excitement from the start. Kevin Vauquelin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) and Matteo Jorgenson (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) made early attempts to break away from the main group, but were eventually reeled in.
Wout van Aert and Tim Wellens drove hard for their respective teams on the classified climbs, while Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) finished second and third, respectively, in the stage. Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) made a late attack, but was also reeled in.
The leaders of the GC battle contained both Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and Remco Evenepoel alongside Pogačar and Vingegaard. However, others were missing from the mix, including Ben O'Connor (Jayco-AlUla) and Carlos Rodríguez (Ineos Grenadiers). Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) was involved in a minor crash, but there were no serious incidents.
The fight for position went all the way to the foot of the Saint-Etienne-au-Mont climb, where van der Poel made his winning move. Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) made bids for victory, but it was van der Poel who eventually claimed his 55th professional win.
Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) had a mechanical and fought to get back on the group, while Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quickstep) was briefly caught out in a split over the top of a climb, but quickly re-joined the main group. The Visma-Lease a Bike team dominated at the front of the bunch during the stage.
Van der Poel took over the overall lead from Jasper Philipsen, who won stage 1 of the Tour de France. With his victory, van der Poel now wears the yellow jersey, with Tadej Pogačar four seconds behind and Jonas Vingegaard six seconds behind. The current overall standings in the Tour de France 2023 after stage 2 are not available, as the search results focus on the Tour de France 2025.
Despite the rainy conditions and traffic jams at the start, the stage was filled with excitement as cyclists tackled a series of short climbs, which tested their skills in sports. The thrilling uphill sprint saw sports competitors like Kevin Vauquelin and Matteo Jorgenson attempt to break away from the main group, albeit unsuccessfully.
