2 hours ago
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Isaac del Toro took a victory orchestrated by Tadej Pogacar on stage two of the Tour de France in Barcelona as Jonas Vingegaard retained the yellow jersey.
A day after Vingegaard’s Visma-Lease a Bike squad had their moment winning the opening team time trial, stage two belonged to their rivals UAE Team Emirates-XRG as they engineered a one-two with Pogacar allowing his 22-year-old teammate to take the win just two days into his debut Tour.
Vingegaard came home fourth, just behind Remco Evenepoel, his overall advantage over Pogacar at this early stage now six seconds after bonus time is applied, though Pogacar appeared more than capable of cutting that further or even overhauling it had he wanted.
When Del Toro brought back a late attack from Mattias Skjelmose inside the final kilometre it appeared he was looking to set up Pogacar, but the man here seeking a record-equalling fifth Tour crown saw a short gap to Vingegaard behind and was happy to let his teammate enjoy the moment.
“It means really everything,” said Del Toro, who earlier in the stage had to chase back after a mechanical issue. “I cannot believe what I just did. It’s insane. A rider like Tadej, being in the same team as him, the best team in the world, I’m full of emotion. I cannot believe how it feels right now. I really thank my teammates.
“We were going super fast. At the top of the climb I was not able to be in position to be in the front group, then I tried to bring back Skjelmose and we made a plan for Tadej. I did it, but then the gap was bigger so I just went with the flow to the finish line.
“This kind of opportunity doesn’t come almost ever so I’m super proud to be able to have the level to manage this kind of situation.”
The main contenders for yellow had come to the fore as the peloton began the first of three laps of a closing circuit in Barcelona at the end of a 168.5km stage along the coast from Tarragona.
Tom Pidcock’s Pinarello Q36.5 squad had done much of the work to control a three-man breakaway, with the Yorkshireman ultimately finishing the day in 10th.
The third stage of the race will go ahead on Monday in an “adapted” format with no spectators in France because of forest fires ravaging a region in the south of the country.
“On French territory, the publicity caravan will not circulate,” said Pierre Regnault de la Mothe, the prefect – the top Paris-appointed official – of the Eastern Pyrenees department. The setup will be limited to the passage of the riders only and the vehicles essential to organising the event.”
The prefect added: “The public is asked not to go near the route or to the finish area. In other words, and I regret having to say this, it will be, in France at least, a stage of the Tour de France without spectators.”
The fire currently burning in the area has already swept across approximately 1,500 hectares of land and required the mobilisation of about 700 firefighters.
It is located about 70km (43.5 miles) from Les Angles, where riders late Monday afternoon are due to finish the third stage which is set to start in Granollers in Spain.
The prefect has also ordered the closure of the main road that provides access – notably from the coast – to the route of Monday’s stage due to the fire.
Full report to follow…
