Isaac del Toro wins in Barcelona and Pogacar leaves a sensation of total control in stage 2 of the Tour

Isaac del Toro opened his account in the Tour de France in the best possible way. The Mexican from UAE Team Emirates-XRG won the second stage in Barcelona after an explosive finish in Montjuïc, where Tadej Pogacar once again shook up the race and Jonas Vingegaard held on to the yellow jersey.

Del Toro completes UAE's work in Barcelona and Vingegaard saves the yellow

The stage, covering 168.5 kilometers between Tarragona and Barcelona, ended in the same location as the previous day, next to the Olympic Stadium, but with a very different development. This time it was a line stage with three passes over the Alto del Castillo de Montjuïc, a short, tough, and decisive climb.

UAE toughened the race in Montjuïc

The day's breakaway consisted of Felix Engelhardt, Frank van den Broek, and Alex Molenaar, with Baptiste Veistroffer unsuccessfully trying to catch up from behind. Molenaar took advantage of the break to score in the intermediate sprint and, above all, to be the first to pass the Coll de Begues, taking an important step towards the mountain jersey.

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The race changed upon reaching the final circuit in Barcelona. UAE Team Emirates-XRG took control with Brandon McNulty, who did an enormous job on the passes through Montjuïc. The pace reduced the main group to about 40 riders and left several important names out of contention.

There were also problems for some secondary favorites. Romain Grégoire suffered a flat tire at a bad moment, Kévin Vauquelin had mechanical issues again, and Paul Seixas had to change bikes before rejoining the group.

Del Toro recovered from a mechanical issue and finished the job

Isaac del Toro also had a scare before the final circuit. The Mexican suffered a mechanical problem and had to change bikes, but managed to return to the peloton with the help of Nils Politt.

On the last climb to Montjuïc, UAE tightened the race again. Mathieu van der Poel ended up giving way, while the big favorites held strong at the front. There were attacks from Tobias Halland Johannessen, Richard Carapaz, and Mattias Skjelmose, but none managed to open a decisive gap.

In the final kilometer, Skjelmose tried to anticipate, but Del Toro went after him and passed him on the final ramp. Behind, Pogacar came in second, completing a UAE double, with Remco Evenepoel third and Vingegaard fourth.

Vingegaard remains leader, Pogacar closes in

The result leaves Jonas Vingegaard still at the top of the general classification, although Pogacar reduces some of the gap he had lost in the team time trial.

Top 10 stage 2 Tour France 2026

1. Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) – 3:40:01
2. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +0
3. Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) +0
4. Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) +0
5. Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) +3”
6. Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) +3”
7. Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ United) +3”
8. Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) +3”
9. Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) +3”
10. Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) +3”

General Tour France 2026 after stage 2

1. Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) – 4:01:48
2. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +6”
3. Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) +15”
4. Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +16”
5. Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek) +19”
6. Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) +42”
7. Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ United) +44”
8. Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) +53”
9. Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) +1:00
10. Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal Quick-Step) +1:01

The stage confirmed that UAE is not going to wait to shake up the Tour. Pogacar regained seconds, Del Toro took the victory, and Vingegaard saved the yellow in a day that once again demonstrated that this start in Barcelona was not just a formality.