Tour de France: Van der Poel holds off Pogačar to win rainy stage 2

BOULOGNE-SUR-MER, France (AP) – Dutch cyclist Mathieu van der Poel won the hilly second stage of the Tour de France on Sunday after holding off defending champion Tadej Pogačar and two-time winner Jonas Vingegaard in a sprint to the line.

Van der Poel took the race leader’s yellow jersey from his Alpecin-Deceuninck teammate Jasper Philipsen in a second career stage victory on the Tour. Neither rider is considered an overall contender.

Stage 2 was delayed by about 15 minutes after team buses arrived late to their parking spots because of heavy morning rain. Fans lined the roads wearing raincoats and riders wore light rain jackets amid wet and blustery conditions on the slightly hilly 209-kilometer (130-mile) trek from Lauwin-Planque to Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France.

The longest trek of this year’s race featured about 4 kilometers of climbing suited to allrounders like the three-time Paris-Roubaix classic winner Van der Poel and former Cyclo-cross star Wout van Aert.

Greasy roads increased the risk of spills and, after about 45 kilometers, Yevgeniy Fedorov and Andreas Leknessund both fell. They were able to continue as the weather dried out but it stayed windy, leading to a couple more minor crashes.

A strong headwind greeted riders approaching the finish as they took on the day’s three consecutive climbs – short and sharp but very modest ones compared to the giant Alpine and Pyrenean ascents later in the three-week race.

None of the main Tour contenders could launch a decisive attack, although Vingegaard tried with 5 kilometers left.

Instead, it was Van der Poel – nicknamed “The Flying Dutchman” – who surged clear and then withstood Pogačar’s late burst, having also beaten the Slovenian star at Paris-Roubaix in April.

He crossed the line in 4 hours, 45 minutes, 41 seconds with Pogačar in second place and Vingegaard in third recording the same time.

In the overall standings, Pogačar is four seconds behind Van der Poel. Vingegaard is another two seconds back.