France shines on the Italian roads… of the Tour de France. Following the success of Romain Bardet (DSM-Firmenich) in Rimini, it was the turn of Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa-B & B Hôtels) to win the 2nd stage, which linked Cesenatico to Bologna, and was 199 kilometers long.
Present in force in the breakaway, the French put on a show in the finale. Jordan Jegat (TotalEnergies) and Axel Laurance (Alpecin-Deceuninck) took turns attacking in the first ascent of the demanding San Luca climb (1.9 km at 10.6%, 3rd category), 30 kilometers from the finish.
But the good move came a little later, when Vauquelin followed the attack of Nelson Oliveira (Movistar), in the company of the indefatigable Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility). The 23-year-old French puncher-rouleur dropped his two companions by accelerating during the second passage on the road to the San Luca monastery. He finished alone with a 36-second lead over Abrahamsen in second, and 49 seconds over Quentin Pacher (Groupama-FDJ), third.
While Romain Bardet (DSM-Firmenich) let go in the group of favorites, Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates) placed a clear attack on the San Luca hill. Only Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) was able to follow him. The two great rivals finished just ahead of the other favorites. The Slovenian took the yellow jersey for a handful of seconds.
