BOLOGNA, Italy (AP) — Them two once more.
It took solely two days into the Tour de France to indicate that Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard are in a category of their very own.
Pogacar attacked from the chasing peloton up the second ascent of the brief however brutally steep San Luca climb within the second stage of the Tour on Sunday and solely Vingegaard was capable of comply with him.
By the highest of the climb, Pogacar and Vingegaard had opened up a 40-second hole forward of the opposite contenders.
The transfer meant that Pogacar took the chief’s yellow jersey from Stage 1 winner Romain Bardet. Primoz Roglic, one other anticipated total contender, dropped 21 seconds behind.
Breakaway rider Kevin Vauquelin made it two French wins in two days by profitable the hilly stage with an assault of his personal up San Luca to comply with up countryman Bardet’s success.
Pogacar received the Tour in 2020 and 2021 then completed second behind Vingegaard the final two years.
Pogacar is aiming for the uncommon Giro d’Italia-Tour double after dominating the Italian Grand Tour final month. Vingegaard hadn’t raced since an enormous crash in April left him with a damaged collarbone and ribs, plus a collapsed lung.
“I may be very pleased,” Vingegaard mentioned, “that I used to be capable of comply with Tadej on the second time of San Luca, as a result of that is in all probability one of many phases we feared probably the most. We truly anticipated me to lose time — due to the preparation.
“Truthfully talking, I didn’t have a superb preparation for this race,” Vingegaard mentioned. “I solely had 1 ½ months to organize correctly,” including that the race “went means higher” than he “had ever anticipated.”
The opening 4 phases are being held in Italy for the primary time.
The 199-kilometer (124-mile) route beginning in Cesenatico featured six categorized climbs, together with two ascents up San Luca earlier than the end in downtown Bologna.
The San Luca climb is only one.9 kilometers (1.2 miles) lengthy nevertheless it options a median gradient of 10.6% with sections at almost 20%.
Pogacar had already proven his legs through the first ascent up San Luca when he accelerated to seize a water bottle from a workforce staffer lining the street. That will need to have given him perception for his decisive assault on his second journey up.
Within the total standings, second-place Remco Evenepoel — the 2022 world champion and Spanish Vuelta winner — and third-place Vingegaard share the identical time as Pogacar. Olympic gold medalist Richard Carapaz is fourth, additionally with the identical time, whereas Bardet dropped to fifth, six seconds behind.
Evenepoel and Carapaz caught as much as Pogacar and Vingegaard after the descent from San Luca.
Vauquelin clocked almost 5 hours and completed a snug 36 seconds forward of Jonas Abrahamsen and 49 seconds forward of Quentin Pacher.
The 23-year-old Vauquelin, who received his first ever Grand Tour stage, rides for the Arkea-B&B Resorts workforce, which earned its first victory on the Tour in its eleventh time racing biking’s greatest occasion.
Vauquelin’s teammate Cristian Rodriguez was additionally within the breakaway and arrange his assault.
“I had an ideal day,” Vauquelin mentioned. “I’ve to thank Cristian for his function in the way in which he helped me get by way of to win the stage. He put me within the good place and I knew I used to be going to have the ability to assault.”
The stage was devoted to 1998 Tour champion Marco Pantani, who was from Cesenatico, and handed by a museum devoted to the nonetheless beloved Italian rider, who died in 2004. Followers painted Pantani’s title everywhere in the roads.
The stage additionally handed by way of Imola’s Method 1 circuit.
There was a crash halfway by way of the stage involving Wout van Aert, Laurens De Plus and Matteo Jorgenson however all three riders continued.
Van Aert was then dropped on the primary climb up San Luca.
Earlier, world champion Mathieu van der Poel additionally fell behind.
Stage 3 on Monday is the Tour’s longest, a largely flat 231-kilometer (144-mile) leg from Piacenza to Turin that represents the race’s first likelihood of a mass dash end. Meaning it’s a possibility for Mark Cavendish to interrupt his tie with Eddy Merckx for probably the most profession stage victories on the Tour, with the pair at present tied on 34 every.
Cavendish struggled with warmth and abdomen points in Saturday’s opening stage and needed to dig arduous to complete inside the most time restrict. However he rode higher on Sunday.
The race crosses again into France throughout Stage 4 on Tuesday, which can also be the primary huge mountain leg going as much as Sestriere and over the Col du Galibier — one of many Tour’s traditional climbs.
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