Tadej Pogacar seized the overall lead in the Tour de France after a decisive late attack during Sunday's second stage. The Slovenian might have been taken aback by how effortlessly Jonas Vingegaard, the defending champion, kept pace with him, especially considering Vingegaard's recent absence from racing due to a collapsed lung sustained in a crash nearly three months ago. Pogacar's rapid assault on the San Luca ascent left top contenders Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel struggling, but Vingegaard matched his speed without difficulty. "Jonas was right behind me, showing he's already in top form. This race is shaping up to be very intriguing," Pogacar commented, aiming to emulate Marco Pantani's 1998 feat of winning both the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France in the same year. While Pogacar hopes to maintain his stamina throughout the three-week race following his participation in the Giro in May, Vingegaard aims to enhance his performance and conserve energy for the final week.
Tour newcomer Kevin Vauquelin secured the second French victory in the first two days, outperforming the breakaway group on the San Luca climb, which marked Arkea-B&B Hotels' first win in the race. Romain Bardet, who began the day wearing the leader's yellow jersey, finished 21 seconds adrift of Pogacar, resulting in a six-second loss of the overall lead. Evenepoel eventually caught up with Vingegaard and his rival, aided by Ecuador's Richard Carapaz. "There was a gap in the middle of the climb, and I was poorly positioned, my mistake," Evenepoel admitted. Pogacar now leads Evenepoel and Vingegaard, with no time differences between them, while Roglic trails by 21 seconds.
Eleven riders initiated an early breakaway but failed to challenge Bardet's hold on the yellow jersey. They established a 10-minute lead, which was evident they would contest the stage victory despite a late surge from the peloton. Within the leading group, Jordan Jegat and Axel Laurance launched an attack on the San Luca climb amidst a roaring, stadium-like atmosphere. This marked the first of two ascents up the Portico, known for its 666 arches. Vauquelin, along with Jonas Abrahamsen and Nelson Oliveira, broke away on the flat section leading to the base of San Luca. The Frenchman then accelerated immediately and maintained his lead, with Abrahamsen securing second place and another Frenchman, Quentin Pacher, finishing third.
"I've endured numerous challenging moments, in training, at the Tour de Suisse, and the French championships, and yesterday I was dropped, feeling quite exhausted," Vauquelin reflected. "But I felt a sense of retribution and knew my luck would turn. It happened quickly." The third stage on Monday, spanning 230.8 kilometers from Piacenza to Turin, is anticipated to favor sprint specialists.
