Remco Evenepoel sees opportunities for Mathieu van der Poel, who is not shying away from them either

It will be up and down all day in the Ardeche, as Remco Evenepoel also notes. "After that climb, it's still quite a long way to the finish. It will be more or less the same as on Monday. However, it will be a little more difficult for the sprinters to survive. It also depends on how the race is controlled, and the start will be important because it's fifteen kilometers uphill. If a group breaks away, there will be strong men in it."

"I think it's a good opportunity for Mathieu van der Poel to take the yellow jersey," the Belgian continued in a conversation with VTM. "Fred Wright, who finished second on Monday, can also handle a finish like this. They climb a little better than Jonathan Milan. I'm also thinking of guys like Sam Watson and Jake Stewart, who are favorites to win this stage and take the yellow jersey."

And then there’s Van der Poel, but this time talking to CyclingProNet. "I like my green jersey, so maybe I’ll try to keep it until the end,’ laughed the Dutchman, who wasn’t quite sure what to expect either. ‘It’s a bit difficult. If a strong breakaway goes, it can also be possible today. The GC teams will maybe not care about a group going away, so we'll have to see how it turns out."

He may even join the battle himself. ”If I have the legs, I always try something. But it always starts with good legs, especially with an uphill start. The level is really high here, and there are a lot of really strong climbers. We'll see," said Van der Poel, who does not immediately expect a scenario like in stage one. "After that last climb, there are still seventeen kilometers to go, a bit longer than in the first stage. There is still some control possible after this climb. We'll see how it plays out."

Jonathan Milan is the man to watch after the Italian from Lidl-Trek showed on Monday that he is the fastest in the race. “It might be a bit tougher for me. I'll do my best, but our team still has some options. The start of the stage is difficult to control, and it just keeps going."