Isaac del Toro won stage 2 of the 2026 Tour de France in Barcelona, leading home a UAE Team Emirates-XRG one-two with Tadej Pogačar after an explosive finale on the Montjuïc circuit. The Mexican champion attacked inside the final kilometre with Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard, then finished off the move to take his first Tour de France stage win.
Pogačar crossed second, with Remco Evenepoel third and Vingegaard fourth, all on the same time as Del Toro. The result halved Vingegaard’s yellow jersey advantage over Pogačar from 12 seconds to 6 seconds, while Evenepoel moved to 15 seconds down in third overall.
It was a major response from UAE Team Emirates-XRG after Team Visma | Lease a Bike had landed the first blow in the opening team time-trial. Brandon McNulty set the tone on the Montjuïc circuit, Adam Yates positioned Pogačar when the road steepened, and Del Toro turned the plan into a stage win that also moved him into the green and white jerseys.
Photo Credit: A.S.O./Thomas MaheuxHot day from Tarragona to Barcelona
Stage 2 covered 168.5 kilometres from Tarragona to Barcelona, finishing on the Montjuïc circuit that has often shaped the final day of the Volta a Catalunya. After the team time-trial opener, this was the first road stage of the 2026 Tour and the first chance for the GC riders to go head to head in normal race conditions.
Vingegaard began the day in yellow after Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s victory in Barcelona on stage 1. Egan Bernal wore green for Netcompany INEOS, Pogačar started in the polka-dot jersey after his fast Montjuïc climbing split in the time-trial, and Juan Ayuso wore white for Lidl-Trek.
The heat was immediately a factor. Temperatures were already above 30 degrees in Tarragona before the neutralised start, and they climbed through the afternoon. Later in the stage, road temperatures were reported at around 38 degrees, making hydration and positioning just as important as the climbs themselves.
The stage was never a simple sprint day. The Côte de Begues came before the return to Barcelona, and the race then finished with repeated ascents of Montjuïc, including gradients steep enough to remove the pure sprinters and invite the GC riders into the fight.
Early crash and breakaway chaos
The race began aggressively, with Baptiste Veistroffer leading the first move as soon as the flag dropped. UAE Team Emirates-XRG were quick to shut down the earliest attacks, but the road remained unsettled as riders tried to get into the first break of the Tour.
Felix Engelhardt, the German champion, then went clear for Jayco AlUla and was joined by Alex Molenaar of Caja Rural-Seguros RGA and Frank van den Broek of Team Picnic PostNL. The trio opened a small gap while counter-attacks continued behind.
The early phase was also disrupted by a crash that brought down several riders, including Aaron Gate, Silvan Dillier, Biniam Girmay, Robbe Dhondt, Kelland O’Brien, Anton Charmig, Maxim Van Gils and Dorian Godon. All appeared to get moving again, but it added another layer of tension to an already nervous stage.
Once the peloton eased, the three leaders were allowed to move clear. Veistroffer briefly tried to bridge, but was eventually brought back, leaving Engelhardt, Molenaar and Van den Broek as the day’s breakaway.
Molenaar takes control of the early points
The break built its advantage to more than three minutes as the peloton settled. Pinarello Q36.5 took control for Tom Pidcock, but the gap remained stable for much of the first half of the race.
The intermediate sprint in Viladecans came with the three leaders still ahead. Molenaar showed enough speed to beat Engelhardt and Van den Broek, taking maximum points, while Girmay led the peloton home for fourth ahead of Mads Pedersen. Jasper Philipsen and Tim Merlier were also in the points, although neither looked especially comfortable after the effort.
The Côte de Begues followed almost immediately, a 6.1-kilometre category 2 climb averaging 6.5 per cent. UAE Team Emirates-XRG suddenly came to the front en masse, with Florian Vermeersch driving for Pogačar and the gap shrinking quickly.
Molenaar took the 5 mountain points over the top ahead of Engelhardt and Van den Broek. That proved important later, as the Dutch rider would go on to take the polka-dot jersey after the Montjuïc points played out in UAE’s favour.
Photo Credit: A.S.O./Thomas MaheuxUAE Team Emirates-XRG raise the pressure
The Côte de Begues marked the point where the race began to shift towards the favourites. Sprinters started to lose contact, with Girmay slipping backwards after his effort at the intermediate sprint and Arnaud De Lie also struggling after another difficult day with stomach issues.
Multiple GC teams began to move forward as the race approached Barcelona. UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, Decathlon CMA CGM, Team Visma | Lease a Bike and Uno-X Mobility all fought for position, while the break’s margin was gradually reduced.
There were more mechanical issues before the circuit. Pablo Castrillo, Michal Kwiatkowski and Quinn Simmons were among those affected, while Del Toro changed bikes with around 50 kilometres remaining. Paul Seixas also had a badly timed bike change, initially taking Aurélien Paret-Peintre’s bike before trying to get back in through a stressed convoy.
Engelhardt and Molenaar continued to resist as the race entered Barcelona, briefly stretching their lead again after appearing ready to be caught. But the peloton finally brought the break back with 32 kilometres remaining, just before the real Montjuïc racing began.
McNulty turns Montjuïc into a selection
The first ascent of Montjuïc immediately changed the race. UAE Team Emirates-XRG and EF Education-EasyPost moved forward, with Netcompany INEOS also involved, and Brandon McNulty took over at the front for Pogačar.
The effect was immediate. The sprinters went backwards, and the front group was reduced to around 30 riders, possibly fewer, over the climb. McNulty led over the first Montjuïc KOM ahead of Pogačar, giving UAE the first points on the circuit but also showing the wider intent.
Del Toro initially looked poorly placed rather than physically struggling, and Adam Yates had to help bring him forward. That detail would become important later, because the Mexican was still part of UAE’s plan even when he was not in the ideal position on the first climb.
The race crossed the finish line for the first time with two laps remaining, and the pressure barely dropped. McNulty returned to the front on the flat, while Yates and Pogačar stayed close to the head of the reduced group.
UAE and Team Visma | Lease a Bike trade control
On the second ascent of Montjuïc, McNulty again set the pace. Team Visma | Lease a Bike tried to muscle through, bringing Vingegaard into fourth wheel with teammates Bruno Armirail and Matteo Jorgenson nearby, but UAE still had control of the front.
The 14 per cent ramps started to bite. Yates moved back up for Pogačar, while McNulty continued to drive at a high pace. McNulty took the second Montjuïc KOM ahead of Jorgenson, giving UAE another moment of control but also keeping the tempo high enough to discourage speculative moves.
There was a brief lull when UAE appeared to sit up and Pogačar spoke on the radio, but McNulty soon restarted the pacing. Del Toro had moved up onto Pogačar’s wheel by then, and UAE had two serious cards in the front group.
As the race entered the final lap, the front group was still compact but heavily reduced. The major names were all present: Pogačar, Vingegaard, Evenepoel, Pidcock, Romain Grégoire, Mathieu van der Poel, Richard Carapaz, Tobias Johannessen, Paul Seixas, Juan Ayuso, Mathias Vacek and Mattias Skjelmose.
Final climb sets up the winning move
With 10 kilometres remaining, McNulty was still on the front, and Pogačar and Del Toro were seen talking before the final climb. It looked like UAE had a clear plan, even if the exact shape of the finish was still open.
The final ascent of Montjuïc began with multiple teams trying to challenge UAE’s control. Uno-X Mobility, Lidl-Trek, Decathlon CMA CGM, Team Visma | Lease a Bike and Netcompany INEOS all moved up, but McNulty again led onto the climb.
Benoot led briefly for Decathlon CMA CGM, though Seixas was not on his wheel, while Vacek moved up with Ayuso. Pogačar was placed second wheel with Yates looking after him, and Vingegaard had to move up after briefly missing the ideal wheel.
The steepest slopes forced the first decisive splits. Van der Poel and Alex Aranburu were dropped as Yates lifted the tempo with 800 metres to the top. Bernal, Uijtdebroeks and Florian Lipowitz were also visibly struggling.
Johannessen attacked over the top and was followed by Carapaz, Pogačar, Vingegaard, Seixas, Evenepoel and the rest of the reduced group. Johannessen took the KOM points ahead of Carapaz, but the stage still had to be decided on the run to the line.
Del Toro finishes UAE’s plan
Skjelmose attacked after the climb, forcing Del Toro to chase for Pogačar. That move stretched the front group and helped set up the final acceleration. By the flamme rouge, Del Toro, Vingegaard and Pogačar were on the move.
Del Toro attacked with Vingegaard and Pogačar, and the trio opened a gap as the finish approached. Vingegaard did not have the same punch as the two UAE riders in the final acceleration, while Evenepoel came fast from behind to take third place.
Pogačar had the strength to contest the win, but Del Toro was the rider allowed to finish it off. The Mexican crossed the line first in 3:40:01, with Pogačar second, Evenepoel third and Vingegaard fourth, all on the same time.
The result gave UAE Team Emirates-XRG the one-two they had been building towards throughout the circuit. It also gave Del Toro a career-defining Tour de France win in his first road stage at the race, making him only the second Mexican stage winner in Tour history.
Vingegaard keeps yellow but the gap narrows
Vingegaard kept the yellow jersey, but his lead was cut to 6 seconds over Pogačar. Evenepoel moved to third overall at 15 seconds, with Del Toro now fourth at 16 seconds after taking the stage win and bonus seconds.
Ayuso sits fifth overall at 19 seconds, with Seixas sixth at 42 seconds and Grégoire seventh at 44 seconds. Lipowitz is eighth at 45 seconds, Martinez ninth at 53 seconds and Pidcock tenth at 1 minute.
Del Toro also moved into the green jersey and took over the white jersey from Ayuso, capping a huge day for UAE Team Emirates-XRG. Molenaar took the mountains jersey for Caja Rural-Seguros RGA after his points from the early climb, while Engelhardt was awarded the combativity prize for his role in the breakaway.
For Vingegaard, the day was not a disaster. He still leads the race and stayed with the decisive move. But after the opening team time-trial gave Team Visma | Lease a Bike the first advantage, stage 2 showed that UAE had arrived ready to impose the race on the road.
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Photo Credit: A.S.O./Charly López
UAE answer the stage 1 defeat
Stage 2 was a statement from UAE Team Emirates-XRG. They did not simply wait for Pogačar to attack. They used the team: Vermeersch on the Côte de Begues, McNulty across the Montjuïc circuit, Yates for positioning and Del Toro as the second finisher in the decisive group.
That collective strength mattered. Pogačar reduced his deficit to Vingegaard without needing to win the stage himself, while Del Toro gained a Tour de France victory and moved into multiple jerseys. It was the kind of tactical outcome that strengthens the whole team, not just its leader.
Evenepoel’s third place kept him within reach after Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe had lost time in the team time-trial, although Lipowitz’s struggles were another concern after his difficult stage 1. Pidcock finished in the top 10 but did not quite have the final punch to contest the win on a climb that appeared well suited to him.
The biggest visual shift, though, came between the two main favourites. Vingegaard started the day in command after stage 1. By the end, Pogačar had taken back half the gap and UAE had shown they could dictate the hardest parts of the race.
Heat and risk linger over the race
The stage was also shaped by the conditions. The heat made the early road stage more draining than the profile alone suggested, with several riders struggling after the sprint and on the Côte de Begues. Girmay, De Lie and others were among those put under pressure long before the Montjuïc finale.
Mechanical issues and convoy stress also played a part, especially around Seixas’ bike change before the circuit. The young French rider still finished ninth on the stage and remains sixth overall, but the timing of the incident could have been far more costly.
There was also concern after the stage over the immediate future of the race, with extreme heat and wildfires threatening stages 3 and 4. That added uncertainty to a Tour that has already started with hard racing, early GC gaps and major environmental pressure.
For now, the sporting picture is clear. Vingegaard remains in yellow. Pogačar is closer than he was in the morning. Del Toro has a Tour stage win, green and white. UAE Team Emirates-XRG have turned the Montjuïc circuit into their first major response of the race.
Tour de France 2026 stage 2 result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Getty
