The Tour de France is ready to begin its second week with Pogacar in yellow and Vingegaard in pursuit. It will be an entire week full of surprises, where plot twists and ambushes will be plentiful. The first rest day marked the halfway point of the Tour de France, but above all it confirmed one thing: the race is firmly in the hands of Tadej Pogacar. The Slovenian from UAE Team Emirates-XRG returns with the yellow jersey on his shoulders and an already significant margin over his rivals, after a first week in which he managed to alternate attacks, tactical management, and team spirit.

Behind him is Jonas Vingegaard, trailing by 2'42", while the provisional podium is completed by Isaac Del Toro, the authentic revelation of this Grande Boucle, at 3'27". Just off the podium is Remco Evenepoel, just three seconds behind the Mexican (3'30"), ready to play everything out in the major mountains.

The general classification remains wide open. Juan Ayuso holds fifth position at 3'34", followed by nineteen-year-old Paul Seixas, surprisingly sixth at 3'55", the protagonist of a first week raced with maturity well beyond his age.

The situation is more delicate at Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. Evenepoel is fourth, while Florian Lipowitz occupies seventh position at 4'00" from Pogacar and one and a half minutes behind his Belgian teammate. A coexistence that, following the tensions that have emerged in recent days, will be watched with particular attention.

Pogacar leads not only the general classification. The Slovenian also wears the polka dot jersey as the best climber, confirming his superiority on the climbs as well. The white jersey is on the shoulders of Isaac Del Toro, ahead of Ayuso and Seixas, in a young riders' classification that speaks almost exclusively the language of UAE. The green jersey belongs to Mads Pedersen, always prominent in sprints and eventful stages, while Lidl-Trek leads the team classification.

The second week opens immediately with a day destined to leave its mark. From Aurillac to Le Lioran, the peloton will face 166.6 kilometers and 3,757 meters of elevation gain, crossing the Massif Central on French National Day.

There will be seven climbs of the day, with gradients reaching 12.2%, in a stage that recalls the 2024 edition, when Vingegaard managed to beat Pogacar in one of the most thrilling duels of recent years.

After an undulating start, the peloton will climb the Côte de Pailherols, the Col de la Griffoul, the Col de Prat de Bouc, and the Côte de Murat before entering the heart of the race with the Pas de Peyrol, the Col de Pertus, and the Col de Font de Cère. The finish at Le Lioran presents a slight climb in the final meters and could favor another confrontation between the general classification contenders.

Stage eleven, from Vichy to Nevers (161.1 km), should give space back to the sprinters. The route features just 1,800 meters of elevation gain, with the only difficulty represented by the Côte de Billy-Chévannes, far from the finish. Also the twelfth stage, from the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours to Chalon-sur-Saône (179.1 km), appears designed for a bunch sprint. However, watch out for the Côte de Montagny-lès-Buxy, located about twenty kilometers from the finish, which could favor some attacks from a distance.

Friday will bring the longest stage of the entire Tour: 205.8 kilometers from Dole to Belfort. After more than 150 relatively calm kilometers, the peloton will enter the Vosges facing the Col des Croix and especially the legendary Ballon d'Alsace, the first true mountain in Tour de France history. From the summit there will still be thirty kilometers remaining, almost all downhill, but the final ramps could favor attacks by finishers.

The fourteenth stage, from Mulhouse to Le Markstein Fellering (155.3 km) represents one of the most anticipated appointments of the week. With 3,772 meters of elevation gain, the route features the Grand Ballon, the Ballon d'Alsace and especially the grueling double finale formed by Geishouse and Col du Haag, with gradients exceeding 10%. A perfect day for those wanting to overturn the classification.

The second week will close with one of the hardest stages of the entire race: 183.9 kilometers from Champagnole to Plateau de Solaison. The peloton will have to face 4,700 meters of elevation gain, with the final climb of 11.3 kilometers at 9.1%, preceded by the severe Col de la Croisette, which features long stretches over 11%. It will be a stage for great climbers, where the hierarchies could change once again.

The first week delivered a dominant Pogacar, capable of winning, managing, and controlling every situation. Vingegaard, however, has limited the damage and remains the only rider who, at least on paper, seems to have the qualities to put the Slovenian in difficulty on the major mountains. Behind them, Del Toro, Evenepoel, and Ayuso await the right opportunity to insert themselves into the fight for the podium. From today the Tour enters its decisive phase: the mountains will grant no more margin for error and every climb could change the face of the Grande Boucle.