Tour De France 2016: Stage 2 Results, Latest Standings and Highlights
World champion Peter Sagan of Tinkoff-Saxo finally claimed his first Tour de France stage win since 2013, beating a group of climbers and Classics specialists to the finish line during Stage 2.
Sagan has won the points classification without winning a single stage the past two years, but after a sensational start to the 2016 season, few doubted he would grab a win this time around. He's also the new leader in the general classification, taking over the yellow jersey from Dimension Data's Mark Cavendish.
Tinkoff's Alberto Contador suffered his second crash in as many days of racing, and BMC's Richie Porte lost time in the general classification due to a mechanical issue shortly before the final climb.
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Here's a look at the stage results, courtesy of Sky Sports Cycling:
Here is the current general classification:
Recap
The second stage of the Tour brought the first uphill finish of this year's race—a short climb to La Glacerie that would give the Classics specialists a chance to shine.
Contador started the stage and didn't seem too bothered after his heavy crash on Saturday, but the Spaniard's poor luck continued on Sunday, as he was a part of another crash shortly after the start of the stage.
Cycling journalist Gregor Brown spoke to Tinkoff manager Sean Yates:
Contador had to make a bike change following his latest crash, but he soon rejoined the front of the peloton and appeared to be fine.
Bora-Argon's Paul Voss, the leader of the mountain classification, joined Trek-Segafredo's Jasper Stuyven, Fortuneo-Vital Concept's Vegard Breen and team-mate Cesare Benedetti in the early break, and the foursome quickly built a massive lead.
Dimension Data set the pace in the peloton, working for Cavendish, but the team seemed more than happy to give the four their moment in the sun during the opening stages.
Headwinds and bursts of rain made things difficult on the break, but their lead grew to well over six minutes with 100 kilometers left to ride. At the back, a handful of riders, including Bora-Argon sprinter Sam Bennett, struggled with the pace—a likely result of the handful of crashes that occurred on Saturday.
Andre Greipel took top marks on the intermediate sprint in the peloton, which boosted his bid to win the green jersey, but he and his fellow sprinters were unlikely to contest the stage win. Eurosport's Felix Lowe thought Sagan had a good chance of grabbing the win and the yellow jersey:
The teams that were working for the favourites and IAM Cycling combined forces to finally start the chase with 45 kilometers left, and the leaders' advantage quickly dwindled.
Sky's Geraint Thomas suffered a mechanical issue just as the pace kicked up, but he quickly made his way back into the peloton, using the convoy of cars. At the front, Benedetti was the first to be dropped as a result of the high pace.
The three remaining leaders worked well together, however, and the hilly and twisty roads around Cherbourg favoured their bid to stay in front of the peloton.
Professional rider Yanto Barker noticed the pace in the pack was high, however:
With 15 kilometers remaining, the peloton still had a gap of well over two minutes to bridge, and the break appeared to be in the clear. Sky took control in the peloton, but it seemed too little, too late.
Global Cycling Network's Dan Lloyd didn't understand why other teams didn't fully commit to the chase:
The climb of the Cote d’Octeville saw the leaders' pace drop dramatically, however, which opened the door to some late drama. Stuyven had seen enough, attacking during the climb, and he had 90 seconds to work with when the peloton started their descent toward La Glacerie.
Porte suffered a puncture just before the climb, a real blow to his GC aspirations, while Stuyven lost time quickly and almost stalled as the gradient kicked up.
Tom-Jelte Slagter of Cannondale launched the first real attack, and the peloton exploded. Cavendish was dropped almost immediately, and Stuyven's lead dwindled to just 35 seconds. The courageous Belgian was finally caught with 500 meters left, and Sagan easily held off Julian Alaphilippe of Etixx-Quick-Step to finally grab his first stage win since 2013.
The Tour's official Twitter account shared this shot of the finish, showing just how deep the riders had to dig during the final climb:
Per Cycling News' Barry Ryan, Sagan said he didn't even realise he was sprinting for the stage win:
"I’m very surprised I won because I was thinking there were still two guys in front. The team today made a very big job. Roman Kreuziger helped me a lot on the last climb. He pulled all the climb until 500 metres to go.
(On the yellow jersey) It’s very nice, the first time in my career. It’s unbelievable, I’m already wearing a very nice jersey but yellow is something special.
"
Movistar's Alejandro Valverde, another specialist, finished third, while the favourites for the GC kept relatively quiet during the final climb.
Porte and Contador both lost plenty of time on their competitors, and for the latter in particular, it's a major blow this early in the race. Contador remains one of the most gifted climbers in the peloton, however, and if he can recover before the Pyrenees, his early setback should result in some fireworks in the mountains.
Monday's ride toward Angers will be a flat affair and should result in a bunch sprint, and Tuesday's stage toward Limoges shouldn't be any different. The real climbing fun starts on Wednesday, with the first stage in the Massif Central.
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