Mathieu van der Poel delivered a masterclass in Boulogne-sur-Mer, winning stage 2 of the Tour de France in a thrilling sprint finish.
The Dutch star outpowered Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard on the 209.1 km hilly route from Lauwin-Planque, seizing the yellow jersey from teammate Jasper Philipsen.
The stage, the longest of the 2025 Tour, tested riders with 2,550 meters of elevation gain and a series of punchy climbs in the final 30 km, including the Côte de Saint-Etienne-au-Mont (0.9 km at 11%) and Côte d’Outreau (1.2 km at 9.4%).
Despite rainy conditions and fierce crosswinds, Van der Poel’s explosive attack on the final 800-meter, 8.8% ascent to Porte Neuve proved decisive.
“It was super difficult, the final was harder than I thought,” Van der Poel said, celebrating his second Tour stage win, four years after his first in 2021.
Pogacar, who claimed the polka dot jersey with a point on the final climb, finished second, four seconds back, while Vingegaard took third, six seconds behind.
Van der Poel at his very best 💥🏆
Mathieu Van der Poel powered away from Tadej Pogačar to win Stage 2 of the Tour de France and claim the yellow jersey.
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🇫🇷 #TDF2025 pic.twitter.com/22QudndDjq— Velon CC (@VelonCC) July 6, 2025
