Tour de France Stage 2: Isaac Del Toro claims victory as Vingegaard retains yellow jersey amid scorching heat

Riders in the 2026 Tour de France have been battling extreme temperatures, with stage highs near 40 °C. Cyclist Tom Pidcock described the conditions as “a war zone” and said the peloton went through about 10,000 bottles of water. The heat continued into the next day’s stage from Carcassonne to Foix, featuring four climbs and a finish at the Col de Montségur.

On Stage 2, a 168‑km route from Tarragona to Barcelona, Mexican rider Isaac Del Toro of UAE Emirates won the sprint, finishing ahead of his teammate and race leader Tadej Pogacar. Belgian Remco Evenepoel took third. Danish champion Jonas Vingegaard kept the yellow jersey, holding a six‑second lead over Pogacar and a fifteen‑second advantage over Evenepoel. The stage results keep the overall race tightly contested as riders cope with the unprecedented heat.