Mixed in with all the fastpitch news, my report on my other favorite sporting event, the Tour de France. I got home from my Sunday cycling ride in time to learn that my rooting favorite, Mathieu van der Poel (mentioned in my morning post) had won the second stage of the Tour de France. A deserving win for a racer who is often the one that others are drafting on. (He led the paceline for teammate Jasper Philipsen on Day 1, helping him win the yellow jersey for the opening stage of the race.) Overall race favorites Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard finished second and third respectively.
| Stage | Date | Start > Finish | Type | Distance (km) | Distance (mi) | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Sun 07/06 | Lauwin-Planque > Boulogne-sur-Mer | Hilly | 209.1 | 129.9 | Mathieu van der Poel (ADC) |
Yes, that’s two wins from two stages for the Alpecin-Deceuninck team at the 2025 Tour de France, if you’re keeping score at home. Van der Poel takes over the race lead from his team-mate Jasper Philipsen.
Here’s the last km of Stage 2, with Van der Poel out-running last year’s TDF winner, Tadej Pogacar, regarded as the best in the world:
For those following along at home, here is the calendar for the 21 stage event. My legs get tired just looking at those mileage numbers. A century a day !
| Stage | Date | Start > Finish | Type | Distance (km) | Distance (mi) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sat 07/05 | Lille Métropole > Lille Métropole | Flat | 184.9 | 114.9 |
| 2 | Sun 07/06 | Lauwin-Planque > Boulogne-sur-Mer | Hilly | 209.1 | 129.9 |
| 3 | Mon 07/07 | Valenciennes > Dunkerque | Flat | 178.3 | 110.8 |
| 4 | Tue 07/08 | Amiens Métropole > Rouen | Hilly | 174.2 | 108.2 |
| 5 | Wed 07/09 | Caen > Caen | Time trial | 33.0 | 20.5 |
| 6 | Thu 07/10 | Bayeux > Vire Normandie | Hilly | 201.5 | 125.2 |
| 7 | Fri 07/11 | Saint-Malo > Mûr-de-Bretagne Guerlédan | Hilly | 197.0 | 122.4 |
| 8 | Sat 07/12 | Saint-Méen-le-Grand > Laval Espace Mayenne | Flat | 171.4 | 106.5 |
| 9 | Sun 07/13 | Chinon > Châteauroux | Flat | 174.1 | 108.2 |
| 10 | Mon 07/14 | Ennezat > Le Mont-Dore Puy de Sancy | Mountain | 165.3 | 102.7 |
| – | Tue 07/15 | Toulouse (Rest Day) | – | – | – |
| 11 | Wed 07/16 | Toulouse > Toulouse | Flat | 156.8 | 97.4 |
| 12 | Thu 07/17 | Auch > Hautacam | Mountain | 180.6 | 112.3 |
| 13 | Fri 07/18 | Loudenvielle > Peyragudes | Time trial | 10.9 | 6.8 |
| 14 | Sat 07/19 | Pau > Luchon-Superbagnères | Mountain | 182.6 | 113.5 |
| 15 | Sun 07/20 | Muret > Carcassonne | Hilly | 169.3 | 105.2 |
| – | Mon 07/21 | Montpellier (Rest Day) | – | – | – |
| 16 | Tue 07/22 | Montpellier > Mont Ventoux | Mountain | 171.5 | 106.6 |
| 17 | Wed 07/23 | Bollène > Valence | Flat | 160.4 | 99.7 |
| 18 | Thu 07/24 | Vif > Courchevel Col de la Loze | Mountain | 171.5 | 106.6 |
| 19 | Fri 07/25 | Albertville > La Plagne | Mountain | 129.9 | 80.7 |
| 20 | Sat 07/26 | Nantua > Pontarlier | Hilly | 184.2 | 114.5 |
| 21 | Sun 07/27 | Mantes-la-Ville > Paris Champs-Élysées | Flat | 132.3 | 82.2 |