Mûr-de-Bretagne (France) (AFP)

Shattering beginnings!

The Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel won the second stage of the Tour de France on Sunday at the finish on the hill in Mûr-de-Bretagne, and donned the yellow jersey which has always escaped his grandfather Raymond Poulidor.

In tears for several minutes after the arrival, van der Poel paid the most beautiful (sporting) tribute to the former French champion, who died in November 2019. His spectacular debut in the Tour, at the age of 26, has eclipsed the loss of the yellow jersey for Julian Alaphilippe, fifth on the stage the day after his coup by Landerneau.

Behind the Dutch phenomenon, son of a ... ex-yellow jersey (Adrie van der Poel) and one of Poulidor's daughters, the Slovenian favorites have taken their place.

Outgoing winner Tadej Pogacar finished second, 6 seconds behind Primoz Roglic, his runner-up last summer.

"It was my last chance today to take the jersey," van der Poel said afterwards.

"I felt it was a lot better than yesterday. In the first stage, I didn't have the legs I wanted, maybe the stress."

- Overwhelmed by emotion -

To seize the symbolic jersey of the Tour, the Dutchman attacked twice.

The first time before the last 15 kilometers to win the 8 seconds bonus at the top of the first climb of the Côte de Ménéhiez, the climb of Mûr-de-Bretagne.

The second time to win the stage.

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Quadruple cyclo-cross world champion, + VDP + shines in different disciplines.

He excels as much on the road, winning classics, as in cross-country mountain biking, the discipline in which he will seek to win the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics this summer.

Will he complete the Tour which concludes five days before the opening ceremony of the Games?

The new yellow jersey left the field open: "I would love to go all the way to Paris if possible. And if that doesn't ruin my chances in the Olympic mountain biking event. If I can have a few quiet days between the rough days ( du Tour) ... "

Overwhelmed by emotion, after having had confirmation of his seizure of power, the Dutchman kept his face in his hands for a long time, thinking of Poulidor, one of the legends of the Great Loop.

Accustomed to the podium, the + eternal second "ran his last Tour, which he finished in third place, in 1976, 45 years ago.

In memory of his grandfather, who had remained omnipresent in the Tour as an ambassador for the firm that sponsors the yellow jersey, van der Poel and his entire team wore a gold and purple jersey on Saturday, the iconic outfit in the 1970s of what the French affectionately nicknamed "Poupou".

Exceptionally and with the agreement of the International Cycling Union (UCI).

- Thomas off the hook -

In the general classification, the exclusive leader of Alpecin, a Belgian second division formation articulated around him, is 8 seconds ahead of Alaphilippe.

Pogacar and Roglic, who have pocketed bonuses twice at the top of the coast of Mûr-de-Bretagne, are respectively 13 and 14 seconds.

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Suffice to say that the two Slovenes made a good operation in this Breton start, between sun and rain.

The first two stages were expensive for the Ineos team and its four leaders.

After the Australian Richie Porte and the Briton Tao Geoghegan Hart, left behind by crashes on the first day, the Welshman Geraint Thomas (28th on the stage) let go about twenty seconds in the coast of Ménéhiez.

This overall setback, mitigated by the taking of collective responsibilities in the final climb with Porte to dictate the pace, placed Richard Carapaz in the front row of the quartet.

But, already 18 seconds behind Pogacar, who showed great ease at Mûr-de-Bretagne.

Monday, the sprinters find for the first time a ground to their advantage.

The third stage, 182.9 kilometers long, links Lorient and Pontivy (Morbihan) for the penultimate day in Brittany.

© 2021 AFP