Sports director Lotto remembers last Tour finish in Boulogne-sur-Mer well and assesses van der Poel's chances

The last stretch of stage 2 that the peloton will have to complete in 2025 is not identical to that of 2012, but it is similar. In both cases, we observe a final phase characterized by several steep climbs and an uphill finish. In 2012, it was 600 meters at 7.9 percent, while in 2025, it will be 1.2 kilometers at 3.8 percent.

Thirteen years ago, it was a stage full of incidents. Thirty kilometers from the finish, the peloton was shaken up by a major crash in which Maarten Tjallingii broke his hip. The peloton did not wait and continued on the narrow roads to Boulogne-sur-Mer, where another crash occurred during preparations for the sprint.

Kris Boeckmans (Vacansoleil) took a wrong turn, after which it was easy for the young Sagan to secure his second stage victory in the Tour de France. The green jersey wearer celebrated with his chicken dance move. Edvald Boasson Hagen came second, Peter Velits third, and yellow jersey Fabian Cancellara fourth.

Gallopin, Cancellara's teammate at the time, recalls that day vividly. "In fact, I still have a large photo of that stage hanging at home. We were riding with Cancellara in the yellow jersey, and I was at the front of the peloton. I really enjoyed it. Fabian is on my wheel in that photo, and behind him, you can see guys like Jens Voigt, Ivan Basso, and Chris Froome. It's a great memory."

“In 2012, there were a lot of crashes, which caused more selection than the climbs along the way. Back then, we were also in the first days of the Tour (which started in Liège that year, ed.) and, as always, it was very nervous,” explains the Lotto sports director.

“The positioning for that final hill zone will be very important, and I think it's going to be chaos again,” said the Frenchman. “The fact that it's narrow in places doesn't really matter that much. You see big crashes on nice, wide roads too: the main point is that there simply isn't room for everyone at the front.”

So Sagan won that day, but according to Gallopin, who himself has Lennert Van Eetvelt, Jenno Berckmoes, and Arnaud De Lie in his ranks, that doesn't necessarily mean that's the type of rider we'll see on Sunday. “I expect riders with punch, but also the GC contenders. Mathieu van der Poel can win, but nowadays, the GC contenders ride very differently than they did in 2012. So I think they also have a good chance with Tadej Pogacar at the front.”

Aike Visbeek (Intermarché-Wanty) sees the stage as an excellent opportunity for his leader, Biniam Girmay. “Van der Poel is currently one of the better riders on these finishes, but with good positioning, Biniam can also challenge Mathieu and co. Everything has to fall into place, though. We laid the foundation in the spring despite the less-than-stellar results in the major classics. Hopefully, that will pay off now on the tougher finishes in this Tour.”

Steven de Jongh scouted the stage on behalf of Lidl-Trek. “It's a stage for riders with punch, like the Liège-Bastogne-Liège course. It suits riders like Thibau Nys as well as van der Poel. However, it's often quite open terrain, so in terms of wind, these are the more dangerous stages.” On Sunday afternoon, it will be quite windy, and the final section is also suitable for echelons. However, on the final climb, there will mainly be a tailwind.