Leading contender Tadej Pogacar takes over yellow jersey with second stage win of 2025 Tour de France
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'We did an amazing job, all the teammates were perfect,' Pogačar said. 'We had a plan, we stuck to it, and we won. Tim [Wellens] led me out to the bottom of the final climb. And then [Jhonatan] Narvaez did a superb job to keep things under control until the sprint.'
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Pogačar is the overwhelming favorite to win a fourth Tour title. He has been in supreme form since the start of the season and has been the best rider since the start of the Tour last weekend.
His latest win marked his 19th Tour stage victory overall. This week, the defending champion claimed
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Pogačar was also impressive during the first time trial of the race and is expected to dominate even more when the Tour reaches the mountains.
This is the 42nd time Pogacar leads the overall standings.
Overall, Pogačar has a 54-second lead over Evenepoel, with Frenchman Kévin Vauquelin in third place, 1:11 off the pace. Jonas Vingegaard was fourth, 1:17 behind, followed by Van der Poel, the overnight leader who was dropped early in the final climb.
🎙️ "I've just talked with Alpecin and UAE, they go for the stage." News travels fast in a peloton!
🎙️ "Je viens de parler à Alpecin et UAE, ils vont jouer la victoire." Les infos remontent vite dans un peloton !
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour)
A five-man break including former Tour champion Geraint Thomas formed soon after the start, gaining an early lead of 1 minute, 40 seconds. Frenchman Ewen Costiou, a Tour debutant, attacked from that group and tried to go solo, leading the race over the first ascent of the Mûr-de-Bretagne. But with the chase raging behind him, the task was way too big and he was caught by the group including all of the main contenders with 12 kilometers left.
As riders scrambled for position at the front, a dozen of them were caught in a high-speed crash on a downhill some six kilometers from the finish line. Pogačar's teammate Joao Almeida was among those involved.
'I'm super happy with the win today. But not everything is perfect, Joao is going for X-rays after his crash,' Pogačar said. 'He's in great shape so I really hope it's nothing broken and he can continue.'
Almeida escaped without a concussion but has 'an uncomplicated left-sided rib fracture, as well as some profound abrasions to his body,' UAE Team Emirates-XRG said. He is expected to start Saturday's stage.
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The peloton exits Brittany during Stage 8, a 106.5-mile, mainly flat trek from Saint-Méen-le-Grand to Laval on roads sheltered from the wind. Expect a bunch sprint.
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