Key Takeaways: Tour de France Stage 2

Breaking down what we learned on an explosive hilly stage of the 2025 Tour de France

Against the rugged northern French coastal landscape, Mathieu van der Poel used his world-class classics skills to win Stage 2 of the 2025 Tour de France in a thrilling uphill sprint over General Classification favorites Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard in Boulogne-sur-Mer. The win, Van der Poel’s second career Tour stage win, allowed him to grab the Yellow Jersey from his Alpecin-Deceuninck teammate Jasper Philipsen and cemented the team’s status as one of the sport’s top teams despite a limited budget. Outside of the battle for the stage win, the day saw Vingegaard continue to launch extremely aggressive attacks in an attempt to dislodge Pogačar. While the attempts were ultimately unsuccessful and potentially ill-advised, both riders continue to build an early lead over their mutual rivals due to time bonuses and others struggling to hold wheels over the explosive terrain, proving this year’s race isn’t waiting for the mountains to ignite fireworks.

Stage Top Five:
1) Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin–Deceuninck) +0
2) Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates XRG) +0
3) Jonas Vingegaard (Visma–Lease a Bike) +0
4) Romain Grégoire (Groupama–FDJ) +0
5) Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor Pro Cycling) +0

Current GC Top Five:
1) Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin–Deceuninck) +0
2) Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates XRG) + 4
3) Jonas Vingegaard (Visma–Lease a Bike) + 6
4) Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) + 10
5) Matteo Jorgenson (Visma–Lease a Bike) + 10

Select GC Standings After Stage 2:
Pogačar +0
Vingegaard -2
Kévin Vauquelin -6
Matteo Jorgenson -6
Mas -6
Evenepoel -45
Roglič -45
Almeida -45
Lipowitz -45
Skjelmose -45
C. Rodríguez -1’16

Stage 2 Race Notebook

BTP is seamlessly following every twist and turn of the 2025 Tour de France with the fantastic Tour Tracker app (iPhone/Android/Web)

53km: After a cold and rainy start where a four-rider break struggles to build up a significant advantage, Biniam Girmay and Jonathan Milan exchange heated words after a photo-finish intermediate sprint where Girmay nearly beat Milan. Tensions running this high for a relatively small number of points tells us just how hotly contested the competition is and how close these riders think the ultimate gap will be.

30.5km: After a furious battle at the base of the first major climb of the day, the 1.1km, 9% Côte du Haut Pichot, Vingegaard’s Visma team gets to the front, with Wout van Aert setting a nuclear-fast pace. Further up the climb, UAE takes over with Tim Wellens, and behind, only Pogačar and Vingegaard were correctly positioned.

29km: Pogačar and Vingegaard following Wellens over the top of the climb, but behind, the peloton is shattered, with groups spread out across the road. With 20kms to go before the next climb, the groups eventually converge, but it tells us the peloton will split again closer to the finish.

9.1km: After another drag race into the second climb, the Côte de Saint-Étienne-au-Mont (1.1km à 9.4%), Van der Poel is on the front, with Pogačar and Vingegaard looking incredibly easy behind, while everyone else fights to hold the wheel further back.

8.6km: At the top of the climb, Pogačar rolls over the summit looking unbothered, with Vingegaard and Evenepoel glued to his wheel, while the other GC contenders are caught out in the carnage behind.

5.4km: On the following climb, Kévin Vauquelin attacks. While he can use the dynamic of the big favorites wanting to watch each other to get clear in this finale, the fact that he attacks on the climb instead of a high-speed flat section means that everyone rushes to respond. Note that while everyone is out of the saddle chasing furiously, Pogačar is calmly sitting in the saddle.

5.1km: Going over the top of the climb, Vingegaard attacks, but he struggles to open a gap due to the other GC contenders closely marking him.

4.4km-2.2km: On the flat section between the penultimate and final climb, Vauquelin attacks again, and due to being able to build up enough speed to get clear while the top contenders are watching each other. However, he is followed by Visma’s Matteo Jorgenson, and, due to his unwillingness to share work and Pogačar’s UAE teammates pulling behind, he is reeled in.

600m: After UAE’s João Almeida neutralizes a late attack from Florian Lipowitz, Julian Alaphilippe attacks, but he is easily marked by Mathieu van der Poel, who uses the attack as the perfect leadout as Pogačar shadows his wheel.

200m: After launching his sprint, Van der Poel comes around the final bend going full speed with Pogačar and Vingegaard on his wheel.

Finish: Despite a strong challenge from Pogačar on the uphill kick, Van der Poel uses his raw power to hold him off for the stage win, while Vingegaard grabs the final 4-second time bonus in third place.

Three Key Takeaways