Mathieu van der Poel claimed victory in the rolling second stage of the Tour de France through the fields of northern France, which featured three short climbs in the final ten kilometers. In the sprint of a 26-rider group, he narrowly defeated Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard.

🇳🇱 @mathieuvdpoel wins in Boulogne-sur-Mer!

🇳🇱 @mathieuvdpoel remporte la 2ème étape !#TDF2025 l @Continental_fr pic.twitter.com/kK7tHeO005

— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 6, 2025

Primož Roglič also finished with the leading group, taking 22nd place with the same time as the winner.

After the longest stage of this year’s Tour (209 km), Van der Poel also claimed the yellow leader’s jersey from his Alpecin teammate, Jasper Philipsen. Pogačar received a six-second bonus for second place and now sits second overall. The Dutchman leads by four seconds, with Vingegaard in third, two seconds behind Pogačar. Roglič is 21st overall, 49 seconds adrift.

“Of course, the experts saw me as the favorite given the course profile, but when you see who was setting the pace on the climbs, I can say I performed really well just to stay with them,” said Van der Poel.

Pogačar Claims Polka Dot Jersey

As expected, the real action started in the final ten kilometers. On the first climb, Saint-Etienne-au-Mont (1 km at 10.6%), the pace was dictated by Vingegaard’s Visma Lease a Bike team, but Pogačar followed with ease. A group of six riders formed at the summit, without Roglič. Pogačar crossed the top first, securing the polka dot jersey.

Vingegaard’s Attack Fails

Next came the Cote d'Outreau (800 m at 8.8%), where Vingegaard stuck to Pogačar’s wheel. The Dane launched an attack on the descent with five kilometers to go, but Pogačar quickly neutralized the move. Meanwhile, a larger group reformed at the front, including Roglič.

Decisive Uphill Sprint

It was clear the winner would be decided in the final kilometer, which climbed at around a 5% gradient. Roglič’s teammate Florian Lipowitz led out but was soon caught. The favorites saved their energy until the last meters, when Pogačar launched his first real sprint of the stage, only for Van der Poel to edge him out. With this second Tour stage victory, Van der Poel denied Pogačar his 100th career win. For the Dutchman, it was his 55th career victory.

A Breakaway Lasting Over 150 Kilometers

The stage began in heavy rain, which later cleared. From the start, a group of four – Yevgeniy Fedorov, Bruno Armirail, Brent van Moer, and Andreas Leknessund – broke away, gaining a maximum lead of about three minutes. The peloton caught them after more than 150 km, with 52 km left to race. From there until the last ten kilometers, the race remained relatively calm.

What’s Next?

Monday’s stage covers a flat route from Valenciennes to Dunkirk (178.3 km). A showdown between the top sprinters is expected, but rain and strong winds could once again play a role.