Tour de France – Stage 2 DS Insights

 STAGE 2 – 6 JULY – Lauwin-Planque – Boulogne-sur-Mer 209.1 km

🔁 STAGE OVERVIEW

• Distance: 209.1 km (Longest stage of the Tour)
• Start: Lauwin‑Planque (Nord)
• Finish: Boulogne‑sur‑Mer (Pas‑de‑Calais)
• Elevation Gain: ~2,550 m
• Stage Type: Hilly with sharp coastal climbs and narrow roads

🏔 KOM CLIMBS

There are 4 categorised climbs on Stage 2:

1. Côte de Cassel – Category 4 – 1.6 km @ 4.8%
2. Côte du Haut Pichot – Category 3 – 1.1 km @ 9.4%
3. Côte de Saint‑Étienne‑au‑Mont – Category 3 – 1.0 km @ 10.6%
4. Côte d’Outreau – Category 4 – 0.8 km @ 8.8%

🟡 KOM points will be critical today as the polka dot jersey starts to take early shape.

🟢 INTERMEDIATE SPRINT

• Location: Desvres, around 130 km into the stage
• 🟢 Green Jersey Points: 20–17–15–13–11–10–9–8–7–6 (Top 15 score points)

Expect a contest here between fast men and opportunistic breakaway riders.

🎯 DS INSIGHTS

• Coastal crosswinds again pose danger — expect echelons in exposed sections
• Sharp final climbs suit explosive riders and classics-style puncheurs
• A reduced sprint from a fragmented peloton is likely at the finish

🔍 FACT FILE

• Boulogne-sur-Mer is famous for chaotic uphill finishes — past winners include Peter Sagan and Wout van Aert
• Riders will be looking to avoid early time losses in wind-induced splits
• GC riders must stay sharp; bonus seconds could already affect yellow

🏁 LIKELY CONTENDERS

• Punchy Finishers:
  • Wout van Aert (Visma Lease a Bike)
  • Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin–Deceuninck)
  • Mads Pedersen (Lidl–Trek)
• Sprinters in Form:
  • Jasper Philipsen
  • Biniam Girmay
  • Arnaud De Lie
• GC Threats:
  • Remco Evenepoel
  • Tadej Pogačar
  • Jonas Vingegaard (watch wind tactics)

🏆 JERSEY UPDATE AHEAD OF STAGE 2

• Yellow: Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin–Deceuninck)
• Green: Anthony Turgis (Team TotalEnergies) 3rd in the competition will wear green today as Philipsen is in yellow and Girmay in white
• Polka Dot: Benjamin Thomas (Team Visma-Lease a Bike)
• White: Biniam Girmay (Intermarché–Wanty)
• Team Competition: Tudor Pro Cycling Team (Time of the team’s first 3 riders across the line daily)