There’s never a dull day at the Tour de France and the fireworks flew on the iconic steeps of the Mûr-de-Bretagne.
Tadej Pogačar showed no mercy on the savage ramps to take his second stage win of the Tour and reclaim the yellow jersey. Mathieu van der Poel, who wore yellow into the day, cracked near the top, surrendering the jersey on the same climb where he famously claimed it in 2021.
Stuck to Pogačar’s wheel like glue was Jonas Vingegaard, sending a powerful signal that he’s recovered from his time trial hiccup. Visma-Lease a Bike celebrated the runner-up ride like a win, because it means that Vingegaard is back with the Pyrénées looming.
But no day is safe at the Tour. A high-speed crash inside the GC group saw Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious) abandon, and João Almeida was also caught up in the chaos. We hope everyone is OK.
“This Tour’s been a GC fight every single day,” Vingegaard told Velo. “It’s been brutal, so we’ll see what that does to the legs in week three. This is one of the hardest Tours I’ve done.”
New names are also making noise. Oscar Onley continues to impress, and Kevin Vauquelin is giving French fans hope not felt since Hinault. Both sit inside the top 10, but how long can they stay there?
Everyone gets a respite Saturday when the sprinters return to center stage for the 171km stage 8 to Laval.