Vauquelin wins second stage of Tour de France, Pogacar takes yellow jersey

Frenchman Kevin Vauquelin won the second stage of the Tour de France, a 199-km bumpy ride from Cesenatico to Bologna on Sunday as Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar, the 2020 and 2021 champion, claimed the leader's yellow jersey.

It took only two days into the Tour de France to show that Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard are in a class of their own.

Pogacar attacked from the chasing peloton up the second ascent of the short but brutally steep San Luca climb in the second stage of the Tour on Sunday and only Vingegaard was able to follow him.

The move meant that Pogacar took the leader's yellow jersey from Stage 1 winner Romain Bardet. Primoz Roglic, another expected overall contender, dropped 21 seconds behind.

Breakaway rider Kevin Vauquelin made it two French wins in two days by winning the hilly stage with an attack of his own up San Luca to follow up countryman Bardet’s success.

Pogacar won the Tour in 2020 and 2021 then finished second behind Vingegaard the last two years.

Pogacar is aiming for the rare Giro d’Italia-Tour double after dominating the Italian Grand Tour last month. Vingegaard hadn’t raced since a big crash in April left him with a broken collarbone and ribs, plus a collapsed lung.

The opening four stages are being held in Italy for the first time.

The 199-kilometer (124-mile) route starting in Cesenatico featured six categorized climbs, including two ascents up San Luca before the finish in downtown Bologna.

(AP)

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