The skies wept over the French countryside. Riders battled not just each other, but a relentless downpour and a quartet of punishing climbs. It was the second day of the Tour de France 2025, and the longest stage of this 112th edition, stretching a brutal 209.1 kilometers from Lauwin-Planque to Boulogne-sur-Mer. When the dust, or rather, the spray, settled, a familiar face stood atop the podium, pulling on the coveted yellow jersey.
Mathieu Van der Poel, riding for Alpecin–Deceuninck, surprised many by out-sprinting the two titans of the sport. He left Tadej Pogacar of UAE Emirates and Jonas Vingegaard of Visma in his wake, clinching the victory in a blistering 04 hours, 45 minutes, and 41 seconds. This was a particularly tough pill for Pogacar, who narrowly missed his 100th career win. Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) and Matteo Jorgenson (Visma) rounded out the top five for the day, showcasing strong performances themselves.
This win marked Van der Poel’s second career stage victory in the prestigious Grande Boucle. It also continued an incredible run for Alpecin-Deceuninck, giving them their second consecutive stage win in this year’s Tour. Thanks to his heroics, Van der Poel inherited the overall lead from his teammate, Jasper Philipsen, who had worn the yellow jersey after the opening stage. The Dutch rider now holds a slim four-second advantage over Pogacar in the general classification, with Vingegaard six seconds adrift.
For Portuguese hopeful João Almeida of UAE Emirates, Saturday’s struggles were a distant memory. He enjoyed a much calmer day on the bike. Almeida finished 15th, crossing the line with the exact same time as the winner. This strong showing launched him up the general classification standings, rocketing from 60th to 13th place. He now sits 49 seconds behind the new leader, Van der Poel.
Nelson Oliveira, representing Movistar, endured a day to forget. Barely 190 kilometers into the stage, disaster struck with a flat tire. The mechanical issue forced him to momentarily lose contact with the main peloton. Despite his efforts, he fell back again later in the stage. Oliveira ultimately finished in 138th position, more than seven minutes behind the winner. This difficult day saw him drop to 110th place in the overall standings.
The riders will face a different kind of challenge on Monday. Stage three stretches 178.3 kilometers and is expected to be mostly flat. The route takes the peloton from Valenciennes to Dunkirk, promising a potentially fast finish.