Vauquelin solos to win on debut as Pogacar takes over yellow

With a stunning solo ride after attacking his breakaway companions, Kevin Vauquelin (Arkea-B&B Hotels) took victory at his debut Tour de France, and his team's first ever at the race in its 11th participation.

111th Tour de France 2024 - Stage 2

BOLOGNA, ITALY - JUNE 30: Kevin Vauquelin of France and Team Arkea - B&B Hotels celebrates at finish line as stage winner during the 111th Tour de France 2024, Stage 2 a 199.2km stage from Cesenatico to Bologna / #UCIWT / on June 30, 2024 in Bologna, Italy. (Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images) Source: Getty / Tim de Waele/Getty Images

The place to watch the Tour de France - LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE - plus the third edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is right here on SBS. Replays, mini stage recaps, extended highlights, winning moments and live streaming can be found on the and the SBS Skoda Tour Tracker,available for download on and .

The 23-year-old launched a powerful attack on the second ascent of the San Luca with 14km to go, staying away to the line in Bologna to become the second Frenchman to win a stage after Romain Bardet's triumph in Rimini yesterday.

Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X) finished second, 36 seconds down on Vauquelin while Quentin Pacher (Groupama-FDJ) made it two French riders on the podium, taking third place 49 seconds behind the winner.

“It was really hard for me but I’m really happy," Vauequelin said after the stage.

Stream free On Demand

Thumbnail of Tour de France 2024

Tour de France 2024

series • 
cycling
series • 
cycling

"I had a perfect day out in the breakaway. I have to thank [teammate] Cristian [Rodriguez, 4th on the stage] for his role in the way he helped me get through to win the stage. He put me in the perfect position and I knew I was going to be able to attack."

Before Vauquelin's stunning effort today, Arkea-B&B Hotels had never won a stage at the Tour de France, despite participating 11 times.

The final double ascent of the Cote de San Luca proved to be the decisive point of the stage, not just for the breakaway but also the general classification battle as we saw the first fireworks from the top contenders.
With Vauquelin's win sealed over three minutes up the road, Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) attacked from the reduced peloton on the second ascent of the climb, with only Jonas Vingegaard (Visma Lease-a-bike) able to follow.

It was another moment in a long-running rivalry, and the two sped away from the rest of the field, coming into the final kilometre alone until Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) and Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) made it back for all four to finish on the same time.

Pogacar took over the yellow jersey from Bardet, with Evenepoel moving to second overall and Vingegaard into third, all on the same time as the race heads into Stage 3.

After two hilly days, the sprinters will get their first chance to go for glory in Stage 3 of the Tour de France, a 230.8km route from Plaisance to Turin. Watch from 7:05pm (AEST) on SBS On Demand and the SKODA Tour Tracker before coverage on SBS starts from 8:30pm.

Stage 2 results:

Share
Watch the FIFA World Cup 2026™, Tour de France, Tour de France Femmes, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España, Dakar Rally, World Athletics / ISU Championships (and more) via SBS On Demand – your free live streaming and catch-up service. Read more about Sport
Have a story or comment? Contact Us

Watch the FIFA World Cup 2026™, Tour de France, Tour de France Femmes, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España, Dakar Rally, World Athletics / ISU Championships (and more) via SBS On Demand – your free live streaming and catch-up service.
Watch nowOn Demand
Follow SBS Sport
3 min read
Published 1 July 2024 3:34am
Updated 1 July 2024 2:04pm
By SBS Sport
Source: SBS


Share this with family and friends