The French rider from the Arkéa-B&B Hôtels team claimed the white jersey for best young rider after the second stage of the Tour de France on Sunday.
After winning the second stage of the Tour in Bologna (Italy) in 2024, Kévin Vauquelin dreamed of winning the second stage in Boulogne-sur-Mer on Sunday, July 6. The Arkéa-B&B Hôtels rider attacked several times on the final climbs of the course, but the leaders, including Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel, didn't let him escape to victory. With his recent strong results, the 24-year-old from Normandy is under increasing scrutiny from his rivals.
Since his victory in the Tour de France a year ago, the Frenchman recently finished second in the Tour de Suisse behind Portugal's Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates), and was the best young rider. "Have you seen the week you've had? For the Tour, it's great! Relax!" his idol, Julian Alaphilippe, congratulated him after the final Swiss stage. He also took second place in the Flèche Wallonne, just like in 2024. And at the last French Championships, with a team less equipped to compete for victory than the AG2R-Decathlon and Groupama-FDJ teams, he finished third in the road race and second in the time trial. "I thought there might be a chance to play in the final, I tried, but I'm perhaps being watched more and it's harder to pull off a victory," admitted the leader of the Breton team at the finish in Boulogne-sur-Mer. "I think it's compared to the last few months. When you see me attack before the climb, then at the top, the other leaders say to themselves that if they let me go, victory could slip away from them."
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