Mathieu van der Poel Claims Stage Two Victory and Yellow Jersey at Tour de France
Dutch rider edges out Pogacar and Vingegaard in dramatic sprint finish
Mathieu van der Poel of the Netherlands secured a thrilling victory in stage two of the 2025 Tour de France, narrowly defeating Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar in a dramatic sprint finish.
Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard secured third place.
The stage, covering 209.1 km from Lauwin-Planque to Boulogne-sur-Mer, was the longest in the race and concluded with a tight finish among a large lead group.
Van der Poel’s win earned him the prestigious yellow jersey as the overall race leader.
He acknowledged the difficulty of the final climbs but expressed satisfaction with his performance.
The win marks Alpecin-Deceuninck’s second consecutive stage victory, with teammate Jasper Philipsen having won the opening stage.
Inclement weather caused a 15-minute delay at the start of the stage.
Stage three, scheduled for Monday, will be a flatter 178.3 km route from Valenciennes to Dunkirk.
Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard secured third place.
The stage, covering 209.1 km from Lauwin-Planque to Boulogne-sur-Mer, was the longest in the race and concluded with a tight finish among a large lead group.
Van der Poel’s win earned him the prestigious yellow jersey as the overall race leader.
He acknowledged the difficulty of the final climbs but expressed satisfaction with his performance.
The win marks Alpecin-Deceuninck’s second consecutive stage victory, with teammate Jasper Philipsen having won the opening stage.
Inclement weather caused a 15-minute delay at the start of the stage.
Stage three, scheduled for Monday, will be a flatter 178.3 km route from Valenciennes to Dunkirk.
