Key events
Stage two report
We'll leave you with Jeremy Whittle's report from Geneva. Please join us for stage three tomorrow – Genève to Poligny, our first official hilly stage as the Tour enters France. Thanks for your emails and for following along today. À bientôt!
Here's the GC standings after stage two.
I didn't get to mention Kim Le Court or Demi Vollering much today as it was just so tight in the pack. But both riders hoping/aiming to finish this Tour in yellow had good days – they came through it unscathed with, you suspect, the big tests for both still to come.
1. Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime)
2. Kim Le Court (AG Insurance-Soudal) +14sec
3. Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez) +16sec
4. Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly) +20sec
5. Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team L'Imad) +20sec
Lorena Wiebes speaks: “The girls were chasing full, full gas in the final 2km to chase back Riejanne Markus – and it makes it all the more special to finish it in the yellow.â€
She praises the hard work of her SD-Worx team, putting her in the position to secure victory. “Every sprint is quite exciting. If you make a small mistake the sprint is over – so I'm still nervous when it comes to the sprint.â€
She's making her rivals pretty nervous too; a sublime display so far in this year's Tour.
Stage two result
1) Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime)
2) Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek)
3) Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike)
4) Shari Bossuyt (AG Insurance-Soudal)
5) Letizia Paternoster (Liv-AlUla-Jayco)
Wiebes will wear the yellow jersey again tomorrow, naturally. That's what happens when you win two stages out of two.
Well, a dramatic finish there – Riejanne Markus made such a bold solo break, but once the pack caught here there was only one likely winner. Lorena Wiebes veered off to the right, finding the space as the best do, and just accelerated for the finish.
Lorena Wiebes wins stage two!
Lorena Wiebes wins her second stage of the Tour! Markus is eaten up in the final kilometre – and in the bunch sprint it was the yellow jersey, the world's fastest sprinter, who proves it again by rocketing for the line.
1km to go: Markus leads but the gap is six seconds and coming down! What does she have left?
2km to go: The gap to Markus is down to 12 seconds. It's a truly packed pack – SD Worx have used a lot riders to bring this gap down.
3km to go: Marianne Vos edges towards the front of the peloton, but there's no many contenders scrapping for position, including Britain's Zoe Backstedt. The gap to Markus is down to 17sec! She's getting reeled in.
5km to go: We are looking at a grandstand shootout finish, unless Markus can cling on. It is sooo condensed in the pack with no one rider pulling clear! Markus still has that 30sec edge. For now.
7km to go: Riejanne Markus powers onwards, what a battling display this is, no matter the end result. She's still 30sec ahead as she glugs some delicious water and pushes again.
9km to go: The peloton really is tightly packed, so we'll be set for a real sprint finish – if Markus is caught. She gets whoops of support from the Tour fans as she takes a right turn down towards the lake.
11km to go: Markus is a time trial specialist, so perhaps the solo break won't faze her. The gap is steady for now at just over 30 seconds! When will the peloton start to kick on as we wind our way down towards the lake?
14km to go: Riejanne Markus has a 30sec lead out in front now. The chasing pack are probably timing this right to reel her in, you suspect, as much as she's digging deep. The Dutch rider has a quick glance back, then gets back to powering forward.
16km to go: Anna van der Breggen takes the lead of the peloton, she's giving it a bit of welly – with Markus's lead down to 43sec. Intriguingly poised.
19km to go: Plenty of roadside support for the riders near Lake Geneva, which looks wonderfully verdant beside the blue water. Clear skies. I wonder if we'll see any bigger gaps emerge in the peloton? It's still largely just one pack with Markus out in front.
22km to go: Riejanne Markus's lead comes down to 55sec. The peloton, which is up to around 80 riders, is closing gradually but surely.
It's hot – well above 30C. No parasols or umbrellas for the riders, of course.
26km to go: Lorena Wiebes is placed close to the front of the peloton, which will be unwanted news from anyone not associated with her SD Worx-Protime team. Markus has a lead of 1min 13sec; head down she's pushing hard.
29km to go: We're getting to the business end now. It's all flat or downhill to the finish at Quai du Mont-Blanc. Riejanne Markus is just over a minute out in front in a solo lead but can the Lidl-Trek rider stay in front of the pack?
32km to go: Océane Mahé will wear the polka dots again tomorrow – her eight points overall put her ahead of the big points-gatherers of today: Anouska Koster (seven) and Ema Comte (six) in the QoM stakes. Great news for Mahé's Ma Petite Entreprise team.
One fan/chump almost gets in the way of peloton as he leans into the road and mugs for the TV cameras, almost getting in the way of the riders. Thankfully they just about steer clear.
35km to go: Riejanne Markus has a 50-second lead on the peloton, which is lead by Paula Blasi. Comte has dropped back after a great effort today. The pack aren't really trying to chase down Markus (yet).
37km to go: Now it's Riejanne Markus who makes an attempt a solo break! The Dutch rider overtakes Comte and jumps into the lead. Can she pull away?
Jez Smith emails: “I'm appreciating your updates as I wait with my parents, wife and son for the race to pass. We are at Bellevue, a pretty lakeside village about 5km from the finish.
“It's 34C here and feels really hot just standing still by the roadside. The riders are doing tremendously well, given the heat. The publicity caravan was a lot of fun. I got my son a laughing cow and king of the mountains T-shirts. Though I suspect I was an embarrassing father to my too cool for skool son Rufus!â€
That is certainly pretty toasty, Jez. Now I want a laughing cow T-shirt.
39km to go: Ema Comte takes a turn at going on the offensive. The French rider pulls away for an attempted solo break! There's no more official climbs but it's hardly flat, a couple of hills still to come.
41km to go: So Gery, Berton and Amanda Spratt have joined the breakaway group – but they're unable to pull away from the peloton who are looming ominously behind them! Nina Berton makes another push to build a real gap.
47km to go: Célia Gery goes on the attack! She's pulled away from the peloton and Nina Berton is going with her.
At the summit of the fifth and final climb, Koster takes the three points again, Comte in second and then Jansen. The exact same order as the fourth.
48km to go: The gap to the breakaway group is under 40 seconds – but they are on the fifth climb. Biriukova has fallen back and been caught by the pack.
“All of Mauritius watching Kim and rooting for her,†emails Marc Hein, Le Court of course starting this stage second.
50km to go: The peloton, about 30 riders in number, is tackling the climb. A brutal one in 30C+ temperatures!
The gap to the breakaway five is 1min 20sec, who are approaching the fifth and final classified climb: Côte de Monts-sur-Rolles, 2.3km at a 6.5% gradient.
52km to go: The breakaway sprint for the summit – and it's Anouska Koster who times it right this time to pick up three points, Ema Comte is next followed by Eline Jansen in third. The peloton are eating into the lead of the breakaway but let's see how it plays out after this climb. We have a fast descent to come next.
