Nertherland’s Mathieu Van Der Poel wears the yellow jersey after winning the second stage of the Tour de France.Credit:
Having also picked up eight bonus seconds in the first of two ascents to Mur de Bretagne,Van der Poel took the overall leader’s yellow jersey from France’s Julian Alaphilippe and now heads the world champion by eight seconds.
Poulidor,France’s most popular cyclist,never wore the coveted jersey in 14 participations in the Tour between 1962-76,winning seven stages and finishing eight times on the podium.
Van der Poel had set his sights on the jersey as the profile of the first two stages suited his qualities,but was powerless against Alaphilippe in Saturday’s first stage,finishing eight seconds off the pace.
Reuters
Sports news,results and expert commentary.Sign up for our Sport newsletter.