Frenchman Vauquelin wins, Tadej Pogacar takes yellow

Tadej Pogacar has taken over the yellow jersey at the 111th Tour de France. The Slovenian cycling star reached the finish line on the second stage over 199.2 kilometers from Cesenatico to Bologna together with rival Jonas Vingegaard and replaced the French opening winner Romain Bardet at the top of the overall rankings. The day’s victory went to breakaway Kevin Vauquelin from France.

The steep climb up to the pilgrimage church in San Luca – the climb with an average gradient of 10.6 percent over 1.9 kilometers was completed twice – was the first test of strength between the big stars. Pogacar attacked, but Vingegaard was able to stay on the rear wheel. On the descent, fellow favorite Remco Evenepoel also caught up with the two top stars.

The intense heat with temperatures well over 30 degrees also caused problems for the riders on Sunday. Veteran star Mark Cavendish was left behind by the field, just like the day before.

On Monday, the fast men around Belgian sprint king Jasper Philipsen can hope for their first chance at a mass finish. The 230.8-kilometer-long third stage from Piacenza to Turin leads over flat terrain, with the exception of three fourth-category climbs.