OFFICIAL Stage 2 Results

[Laurens De Jong]

Hello, Tour de France Gamers!

 

STAGE Grade: B

 

I rate today’s stage a B. A beautiful ride along the coast and then three times up Montjuïc was good for three stars, UAE Team Emirates – XRG’s tactics were okay enough, the sprint (“will Pogačar let del Toro win, won’t he, will he, won’t he?”) was a few stars, and I was surprised the general classification wasn’t impacted. An okay stage.

 

Route: 3/5         GC: 1/5             Tactics: 3/5       Sprint: 3/5         Surprises: 3/5

 

 

We probably raced on the most legendary hillside in Barcelona today. On Montjuïc, Felice Gimondi races to the rainbow jersey here in 1973 (Ryszard Szurkowski won the amateur title for Poland and then the team time trial with Poland); Formula One had their ill-fated races here until people died. There’s a funicular that goes up one side of the hill, and a funicular is almost a cable car. And there’s a cable car that goes up the other side of the hill, and a cable car is a cable car! The cable car used open gondolas when it opened in 1970, but today it runs Leitner gondolas that were installed in 2007.

 

We probably live in the most legendary epoch in the history of cycling. Because of Tadej Pogačar, and his team. It should be easy to write lyrically about today’s stage and the way UAE Team Emirates – XRG imposed their will on the race. Instead, I find it very difficult. I have too many questions, too many unknowns, to commit my words to lyrics.

 

For example: I read somewhere else that UAE gave a masterclass in cycling today. I can see why: from the moment Montjuïc came in sight, they took to the front and never relented, until only two of their riders (Pogačar and Isaac del Toro) were left.

 

But here’s my problem. This entire year, we’ve learned that Pogačar doesn’t need a team to win. Strade Bianche: 81 kilometers solo. Ronde van Vlaanderen: 100 kilometers solo. Liège-Bastogne-Liège: 14 kilometers solo. Stage 1 of the Tour de Suisse: 72 kilometers solo. That’s not a complete list, I just ran out of time to name all those legendary solo victories.

 

Before Pogačar, this kind of solo victory came once to only a few of the very greats of cycling. It’s all that Pogačar does, ever, all the time. Super-na-tu-ral.

 

So why a team effort today? Because it’s a Grand Tour and there follow three more weeks of racing, and you can’t blow yourself up on day 2? Okay. In the 2024 Giro d’Italia he won three of the first eight stages, six in total, and not one of those was necessary to win the general classification. He wins, solo, without effort, without his team, because he can.

 

But today he didn’t. Today his team raced like he’s mortal. Two years ago, Pogačar won every stage he could. Today, he let Isaac del Toro win. Why? How do I write about that? I can’t.

 

About that letting del Toro win bit. I’ll skip over the part that I still haven’t overcome my distaste for del Toro, carefully cultivated by del Toro himself during stage 20 of the 2025 Giro d’Italia. Let’s assume he’s a likeable guy, who knows how to win a bike race and was rewarded for his effort today by his team captain. The real puzzle is Pogačar himself. He won those stages in 2024, he has given people the Lance Armstrong look, , he rides to solo victories and humiliates everyone, but to my knowledge none of the riders in the peloton hate him for that.

 

That makes my job harder. It’s easy to write about a demon like Armstrong, or a hero like Thibeau Pinot. But an enigma like Pogačar? I’m too far away from the man and from the peloton to know what he’s really like, and why he races the way he does. Call me in ten years, perhaps we’ll know more by then.

 

Speaking of enigmas: del Toro had a mechanical issue with his bike and somehow his team car missed that. Drove by him without stopping. A second team car did stop, well past him at that point. A mechanic hopped in del Toro’s spare bike and rode it back to him. The UCI took note: that’s now allowed. A 500 euro fine and a yellow card for Bostjan Kavcnik.

 

That even del Toro is well-liked by the peloton, or maybe it’s the Pogačar effect, was visible during this incident. The first I saw of shenanigans was that Team Visma | Lease a Bike were gesturing to the others in the front of the peloton to slow down. “Let’s wait for del Toro,” was apparently the word. Del Toro lost almost three minutes in the wake of his misfortune, but Visma’s patience meant that he could come back easily, and then win the stage. Cycling is a fraternity.

 

Our focus rider of the day is Michał Kwiatkowski, thanks to Team Sam. Kwiatkowski is the veteran superdomestique on Netcompany INEOS, formerly Team Sky and INEOS Grenadiers. Early in his career, he was a general classification hopeful. In 2013 he finished 11^th in the Tour de France, racing on Mark Cavendish’ Omega Pharma – Quick-Step team. A few disappointments later, he became the domestique that helped Chris Froome and Egan Bernal to their Team Sky Tour de France overall victories.

 

I thought he had retired by now, but I saw his name on the screen yesterday and again today: a flat tire with 48 kilometers to go dropped him out of the peloton. Nobody waits for a rider like Kwiatkowski — he finished 86^th, together with his teammate Joshua Tarling, over eleven minutes behind.

 

Before we move on from Kwiatkowski, let’s take a moment to dwell on that ł. I write it correctly like that so you don’t call him Michael or similar. The ł is what we call in the biz a “pharyngealized alveolar lateral approximant” or simply the dark L. Wikipedia also says you can call it “L with stroke.” In Polish, the dark L is now pronounced like our <w> as in wet. I say “now” — the migration in pronunciation began in the 16h century and was completed in the 1950s. Languages change, even Polish. Mickaw, then, <w> as in maw.

 

Watch the final kilometer HERE.

Watch the FloBikes highlights HERE.

Watch NBC Sports’ Extended highlights HERE.

Read the TNT Sports report HERE.

 

For the second stage in a row, the Top 25 was dominated by riders who will do well in the general classification. The early days in our game lean more towards what the final standings will look like than usual. Our del Toro and Pogačar today were Team Tadej, who took the day victory with most points from classifications and most points overall, and Team Ansel in second place, most points from the stage and thirteen riders in the Top-25. They move into first and second, respectively.

 

A huge distance back were Team Hugo, followed closely by Team Josh. They’re now fourth and third, respectively. Team Caleb and Team Matthew tied for fifth today, they’re fifth and seventh in the standings now. Team Grace were seventh (now eighth), Team Charles eighth (now sixth), and Team Amalia ninth (ninth in the standings).

 

Team Oliver managed tenth, Team Cameron eleventh, and Team Wesley missed the boat — twelfth today.

 

Stage 3 will see us leaving Spain, through the Pyrenees with three category 3 climbs and the first category 1 climb. Once in France, there will be no spectators allowed. Too hot and dry, they want to keep the wildfires away. Interestingly, the peloton will skirt past or just about go through the Spanish enclave of Llívia. There the spectators can cheer the riders legally.

 

The computers and every reasonable person predict that Tadej Pogačar will win stage 3. I can see that, but I also think that Remco Evenepoel looked miraculously strong today. He chose to allow a gap to Pogačar when del Toro accelerated — misjudged, but not outclassed. Just to be contrarian, I think Monday will be an Evenepoel kind of day.

 

Standings after stage 2:

 

Rank	Name	Points	WAS	MOVES
1	Team Tadej*	581	2	1
2	Team Ansel*	555	4	2
3	Team Josh*	539	1	-2
4	Team Hugo*	522	3	-1
5	Team Caleb*	476	5	0
6	Team Charles*	440	6	0
7	Team Matthew*	437	8	1
8	Team Grace*	425	10	2
9	Team Amalia*	418	9	0
10	Team Cameron*	401	7	-3
11	Team Oliver*	379	11	0
12	Team Wesley*	316	12	0

 

Standings after stage 2 (including adults):

 

Rank	Name	Points	WAS	MOVES
1	Team Amelia	600	3	2
2	Team Kent	590	4	2
3	Team Tadej*	581	5	2
4	Team Jonwaine	574	7	3
5	Team Ansel*	555	7	2
6	Team Josh*	539	1	-5
7	Team Kari	531	7	0
8	Team Rob	528	12	4
9	Team Melanie	523	2	-7
10	Team Hugo*	522	6	-4
11	Team Jon	512	10	-1
12	Team Laurens	505	16	4
	Team Julie	505	15	3
14	Team Jonathan	503	16	2
15	Team Eric	499	13	-2
16	Team Craig	485	16	0
17	Team Caleb*	476	10	-7
18	Team Kurt	474	28	10
19	Team Ed	465	14	-5
20	Team Corsa	443	20	0
21	Team Charles*	440	20	-1
	Team Charlotte	440	19	-2
23	Team Matthew*	437	24	1
24	Team Grace	425	29	5
25	Team Amalia*	418	25	0
26	Team Suzanne	417	31	5
27	Team Adam	413	22	-5
28	Team Ellie	408	32	4
	Team Furner	408	26	-2
30	Team Erin	404	35	5
31	Team Cameron	401	23	-8
32	Team Ambrose	393	33	1
33	Team Kate	384	26	-7
34	Team Oliver*	379	34	0
35	Team Allison	372	30	-5
36	Team Wesley*	326	39	3
37	Team Wesley	316	36	-1
38	Team Lichterman	309	37	-1
39	Team Senna#	286	38	-1
40	Team Izzy	284	41	1
41	Team Grace*	239	40	-1
42	Team Cameron*	193	42	0
43	Team Valerie	180	43	0
44	Team Sam	132	44	0

 

Complete breakdown of points from stage 2:

 

Name	STAGE RESULTS	RED JERSEY	GREEN JERSEY	POLKA DOT JERSEY	WHITE JERSEY	POINTS/CLASS	TOTAL	PREVIOUS	CUM. TOTAL
Team Amalia*	153	37	10	6	5	58	211	207	418
Team Ansel*	231	49	10	2	12	73	304	251	555
Team Caleb*	167	43	10	0	8	61	228	248	476
Team Cameron*	145	33	3	0	8	44	189	212	401
Team Charles*	162	43	10	0	8	61	223	217	440
Team Grace*	161	41	10	4	9	64	225	200	425
Team Hugo*	188	48	10	2	12	72	260	262	522
Team Josh*	181	49	10	0	12	71	252	287	539
Team Matthew*	167	43	10	0	8	61	228	209	437
Team Oliver*	147	37	5	4	4	50	197	182	379
Team Tadej*	229	55	10	2	15	82	311	270	581
Team Wesley*	114	27	5	1	0	33	147	169	316

 

Complete breakdown of points from stage 2 (including adults):

 

Name	STAGE RESULTS	RED JERSEY	GREEN JERSEY	POLKA DOT JERSEY	WHITE JERSEY	POINTS/CLASS	TOTAL	PREVIOUS	CUM. TOTAL
Team Adam	136	38	8	4	12	62	198	215	413
Team Allison	128	33	7	0	8	48	176	196	372
Team Amalia*	153	37	10	6	5	58	211	207	418
Team Ambrose	152	40	10	0	8	58	210	183	393
Team Amelia	244	54	10	2	15	81	325	275	600
Team Ansel*	231	49	10	2	12	73	304	251	555
Team Caleb*	167	43	10	0	8	61	228	248	476
Team Cameron	145	33	3	0	8	44	189	212	401
Team Cameron*	54	11	3	0	1	15	69	124	193
Team Charles*	162	43	10	0	8	61	223	217	440
Team Charlotte	162	37	8	0	9	54	216	224	440
Team Corsa	156	48	10	0	12	70	226	217	443
Team Craig	181	48	10	2	12	72	253	232	485
Team Ed	166	43	10	0	8	61	227	238	465
Team Ellie	153	40	10	4	9	63	216	192	408
Team Eric	188	49	10	0	12	71	259	240	499
Team Erin	174	39	5	0	6	50	224	180	404
Team Furner	148	38	8	0	12	58	206	202	408
Team Grace	161	41	10	4	9	64	225	200	425
Team Grace*	85	20	3	0	0	23	108	131	239
Team Hugo*	188	48	10	2	12	72	260	262	522
Team Izzy	113	26	8	4	5	43	156	128	284
Team Jon	191	50	10	0	13	73	264	248	512
Team Jonathan	206	44	10	2	9	65	271	232	503
Team Jonwaine	243	55	10	0	15	80	323	251	574
Team Josh*	181	49	10	0	12	71	252	287	539
Team Julie	197	50	10	0	14	74	271	234	505
Team Kari	206	51	10	0	13	74	280	251	531
Team Kate	136	37	5	0	4	46	182	202	384
Team Kent	239	55	10	0	15	80	319	271	590
Team Kurt	207	45	10	0	11	66	273	201	474
Team Laurens	203	48	10	0	12	70	273	232	505
Team Lichterman	111	26	3	0	4	33	144	165	309
Team Matthew*	167	43	10	0	8	61	228	209	437
Team Melanie	172	48	10	0	12	70	242	281	523
Team Oliver*	147	37	5	4	4	50	197	182	379
Team Rob	212	49	10	0	12	71	283	245	528
Team Sam	54	14	3	0	3	20	74	58	132
Team Senna#	108	28	5	0	0	33	141	145	286
Team Suzanne	160	40	10	4	8	62	222	195	417
Team Tadej*	229	55	10	2	15	82	311	270	581
Team Valerie	65	19	3	0	0	22	87	93	180
Team Wesley	114	27	5	1	0	33	147	169	316
Team Wesley*	140	32	10	0	8	50	190	136	326

 

Allez le Tour!

 

-Laurens.