Mathieu van der Poel has taken the lead in the 2025 Tour de France after winning stage two into Boulogne-sur-Mer. The Dutchman outsprinted Tadej Pogacar on the final climb, thwarting the Slovenian’s attempt to secure his 100th career win.
Van der Poel’s Alpecin-Deceuninck team had been in front from an early stage, but were eventually distanced by Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard of Visma-Lease a Bike. The Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel also failed to make an impact.
The Tour de France has taken a toll on several top teams, with Ineos Grenadiers struggling after losing Filippo Ganna due to a concussion. Carlos Rodríguez and Geraint Thomas have fallen behind by over two minutes.
Meanwhile, the team of Jonas Vingegaard’s wife, Trine Vingegaard Hansen, expressed concerns about her husband’s workload, stating that he is “burning the candle at both ends”. The team’s performance has been affected by this, with Visma-Lease a Bike missing out on crucial time-gain opportunities.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/jul/06/tour-de-france-2025-mathieu-van-der-poel-stage-two-victory-yellow-jersey-cycling