The route of the 2nd stage is gently undulating from start to finish. But the course should not worry fast men. The elevation gain is marginal, while the route is approximately 20 kilometres shorter.
Pocketing five victories, Marcel Kittel was in a class of his own in last year’s Tour de France. Dylan Groenewegen (on Champs-Élysées, when Kittel already pulled out) and Arnaud Démare (after a chaotic and crash marked finale) took the other two sprints.
Kittel’s move to Katusha started to pay off quite late this season. But the German landed his first two victories in the Tirreno-Adriatico. Young Groenewegen seems to be a new big name though, the Dutchman won nine times this season, although he ended in sixth on the 1st stage of this year’s Tour de France. Fernando Gaviria powered to victory ahead of Peter Sagan and Marcel Kittel. If one thing, the Colombian is backed-up by the best lead-out team.
Favourites 2nd stage 2018 Tour de France
*** Dylan Groenewegen, Fernando Gaviria, Peter Sagan, Arnaud Démare
** Michael Matthews, André Greipel, Marcel Kittel, Alexander Kristoff
* Sonny Colbrelli, Mark Cavendish, Magnus Cort, Christopher Laporte
Tour de France 2018 stage 2: Route maps, height profiles, and more
Click on the images to zoom
Related articles Riders - Tour de France 20 Withdrawals - Tour de France 20 Favourites - Tour de France 20 GC Favourites - Tour de France 20 More articles Tour de France 2024: The Route
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 1: Florence - Rimini
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 2: Cesenatico - Bologna
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 3: Piacenza - Turin
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 5: Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne - Saint-Vulbas
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 7: Nuits-Saint-Georges - Gevrey-Chambertin
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 8: Semur-en-Auxois - Colombey-les-Deux-Églises
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 9: Troyes - Troyes
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 11: Evaux-les-Bains - Le Lioran
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 12: Aurillac - Villeneuve-sur-Lot
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 14: Pau - Pla d'Adet
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 15: Loudenvielle - Plateau de Beille
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 16: Gruissan - Nîmes
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 17: Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux - Superdévoluy
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 18: Gap - Barcelonnette
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 19: Embrun - Isola 2000
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 20: Nice - Col de la Couillole
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 21: Monaco - Nice
Giro 2024: The Route
Giro 2024 Route stage 1: Turin - Turin
Giro 2024 Route stage 2: San Fransesco al Campo - Oropa
Giro 2024 Route stage 3: Novara - Fossano
Giro 2024 Route stage 4: Acqui Terme - Andora
Giro 2024 Route stage 5: Genoa - Lucca
Giro 2024 Route stage 6: Viareggio - Rapolano Terme
Giro 2024 Route stage 7: Foligno - Perugia
Giro 2024 Route stage 8: Spoleto - Prati di Tivo
Giro 2024 Route stage 9: Naples - Naples
Cycling Calendar 2024