Vauquelin extends the French dolce vita, Roglic already behind… The tops/flops of the 2nd stage

TOPS

Great first for Vauquelin and Arkéa-B&B Hotels

The day after Romain Bardet’s big day, Kévin Vauquelin extended the sweet life of French cycling by winning the second stage of the Tour de France in Bologna this Sunday. Starting very early in a breakaway quickly validated by the peloton, the Norman from the Arkéa-B&B Hotels team came out at the best time, with three breakaway companions, before making the difference in the big percentages of the final climb of San Luca. The final 13 kilometers were then a piece of cake, for him the time specialist (2nd in France last week). Time to also enjoy great happiness for the 23-year-old runner, “at the bottom of the bucket” the day before and already “revenge” this Sunday. The revenge was brutal, and here he is already a stage winner on the Tour for his first appearance, where he offered the Breton team an inevitably historic first victory.

Read alsoTour de France: Vauquelin signs a second French victory, Bardet dispossessed of his yellow jersey by Pogacar

Pogacar didn’t want to hang around

The yellow jersey has found shoulders that are much more familiar than those of Romain Bardet. In yellow for the first time in his career this Sunday, the Auvergnat was dispossessed of his jersey by Tadej Pogacar, fourth the day before and who arrived a few seconds earlier in Bologna on Sunday. Already insatiable, the Slovenian ogre went to seek the yellow jersey with panache, after a first battle in the San Luca hill with Jonas Vingegaard. Not surprised by the first real-false attack from “Pogi”, the double outgoing winner responded in his wheel and reassured about his state of form. The battle is (already) launched.

Abrahamsen, gluttonous polka dot jersey

Bardet, Vauquelin… and Jonas Abrahamsen. Of all the battles since the Grand Departure from Florence, the Uno-X bounty hunter is the other face of this start of the Tour. In the lead at each difficulty of the day, the Norwegian reinforced his polka dot jersey while taking the bonus and the points from the intermediate sprint posted halfway, after passing the Imola Autodrome. Tireless, as when he tore himself away to come back and seek the points in the first of the two climbs of the Côte de San Luca, the Norwegian continued his effort until the end to obtain second place, only beaten by Vauquelin .

Read alsoTour de France 2024: relive Vauquelin’s great victory in Bologna

FLOPS

Roglic is (already) giving up time

Placed among the favorites for the stage for having tamed the Côte de San Luca four times, notably in the 2023 Giro, Primoz Roglic was unable to keep up with the pace of the Pogacar-Vingegaard duo. Released in the final ascent of the brutal final climb (percentages between 16 and 20% at the end), justice of the peace of the Tour d’Emilie, autumn semi-classic where he wins every other year (2019, 2021, 2023), the Slovenian has already given up time to his great rivals. Unlike Remco Evenepoel, who caught up with the strength of his thighs, the climber from the Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe team is now relegated to 21 seconds behind the leading trio. A first admission of weakness for the one who had nevertheless reassured himself by winning the Critérium du Dauphiné at the beginning of June.

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Bardet loses the jersey for a few seconds

He sprinted like hell to the finish line but it was already too late. 21 seconds after Pogacar, Romain Bardet was stripped of his yellow jersey by a handful of seconds, while he could probably consider keeping it for another day after the expected lull on Monday. The fault lies in the first tremors of the Pogacar-Vingegaard battle on the San Luca hill, where the Auvergnat was unable to keep the pace imposed.It was in the order of things today, there were four stronger guys,” confessed to France TV the interested party, who “still had pain in his legs from the day before». But this first yellow jersey of his career, certainly not given up without a fight, is already the sign of a successful last Tour. And with his weight now removed, Bardet will be able to play shots again in the future. A blessing in disguise, ultimately.

Read alsoTour de France 2024: Romain Bardet, finally the consecration in yellow

New day in hell for Cavendish and Jakobsen

A start to the Tour with the appearance of Groundhog Day (An endless ending, in French) for Mark Cavendish. But unlike Bill Murray, it is not the cold but the stifling heat that disturbs the 39-year-old sprinter, who again arrived after everyone else this Sunday. 25 minutes of expenses which are added to the 39 of the day before, where the “Missile of Man” had wandered like a lost soul along the succession of coasts of Emilia-Romagna. Always well surrounded, with his teammates from Astana and his companion in misfortune Fabio Jakobsen (DSM-firmenich), a time all alone at the back of the race, the Briton will now turn towards a flatter stage to try to get out of his endless ordeal and finally aim for his 35th record victory.