PERROS-GUIREC, France — Tour de France debutant Mathieu Van der Poel snatched the race leader’s yellow jersey with a win in the second stage on Sunday.
Van der Poel, grandson of Tour great Raymond Poulidor, attacked in the sharp climb leading to the finish line at Mur de Bretagne to drop world champion Julian Alaphilippe, who had led after the first stage.
Van der Poel sealed his maiden stage win ahead of last year’s champion Tadej Pogacar, with Primoz Roglic completing the podium.
Thanks to the time bonus, Van der Poel leads the general classification. He is eight seconds ahead of Alaphilippe with Pogacar in third place, 13 seconds off the pace.
The peloton will remain in Brittany for Monday’s Stage 3, a flat trek between Lorient and Pontivy which is tailor-made for sprinters.
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Mathieu van der Poel, cyclo-cross star, takes Tour de France yellow jersey originally appeared on NBCSports.com