Stage 2

The road

At the start

Three times up Montjuïc

Vingegaard has the first maillot jaune, eight seconds up on Ganna and twelve on Pogačar, who took the mountains jersey on the same climb yesterday. Clément Berthet does not start. Today runs 179 kilometres from Tarragona and then circles Barcelona, climbing the Côte de Montjuïc three times over — the Volta a Catalunya's own finale — and Pogačar has already said out loud that he wants the jersey today.

How it was won

1. 130 km to go

   The break's last stand ends

   Engelhardt and Molenaar shake hands with 40km to go, then think better of it and press on — but with 30km left the UAE-led bunch finally swallows them before the charge to Montjuïc Park.

2. 216 km to go

   Montjuïc thins the field

   Second time up the Côte de Montjuïc, 16km out, UAE drive hard and the peloton crumbles to around thirty-five of the strongest puncheurs — Vingegaard, Pogačar and Pidcock all poised and waiting.

3. 33 km to go

   Yates lights the fuse

   On the last ramp, 2.5km from the line, Yates drives from 800 metres out to deter attacks. Johannessen springs and draws out the GC big names, but there is no road left to make a gap and they crest together.

4. 42 km to go

   Skjelmose gambles on the drop

   Skjelmose flings himself clear on the plunging descent, but Del Toro reels him back in and hits the front, timing his effort for the final drag to the line.

5. 5At the line

   Del Toro delivers a UAE 1-2

   Seven hundred metres out Del Toro launches and holds, Pogačar second on his wheel for a UAE Team Emirates 1-2, while Vingegaard finishes safely in the group to keep the yellow jersey.

The result