Van der Poel wins 2nd stage of Tour to take yellow jersey

Mathieu Van Der Poel celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the second stage of the Tour de France cycling race. - Copyright Stephane Mahe, Pool Photo via AP

By AP

Published on 27/06/2021 - 18:51

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Tour de France debutant Mathieu Van der Poel snatched the race leader’s yellow jersey with a win in the second stage.

Tour de France debutant Mathieu Van der Poel snatched the race leader’s yellow jersey with a win in the second stage on Sunday.

Van der Poel, grandson of Tour great Raymond Poulidor, attacked in the sharp climb leading to the finish line at Mur de Bretagne to drop world champion Julian Alaphilippe, who had led after the first stage.

Van der Poel sealed his maiden stage win ahead of last year's champion Tadej Pogacar, with Primoz Roglic completing the podium.

Thanks to the time bonus, Van der Poel leads the general classification. He is eight seconds ahead of Alaphilippe with Pogacar in third place, 13 seconds off the pace.

The peloton will remain in Brittany for Monday’s Stage 3, a flat trek between Lorient and Pontivy which is tailor-made for sprinters.

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