Dubai: Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates-XRG retained the overall lead in the Tour de Suisse after finishing eighth on stage 2 of the race. The Slovenian continued to wear the yellow jersey as the race leader after crossing the line four seconds behind stage winner Romain Gr©goire of Groupama-FDJ United, who clocked 3:26:25.
According to Emirates News Agency, the stage featured strong competition on the Fanghi (3.5km at 7 percent) and Via Consiglio Mezzano (1.4km at 8.9 percent) climbs, with Gr©goire proving the strongest rider out front. Meanwhile, Pogacar confidently followed the attacks behind and maintained his position among the chasers to strengthen his grip on the general classification lead.
Speaking after the stage, Pogacar said the race had been fast and demanding from the outset, praising the efforts of his teammates and noting that the breakaway group was exceptionally strong and managed to maintain a comfortable advantage all the way to the finish.
By the end of stage 2, Pogacar led the general classification with a total time of 6:55:06, holding a lead of 2:50 over Richard Carapaz of EF Education-EasyPost. Andrea Bagioli of Lidl-Trek was third, 3:07 behind the race leader. UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider Brandon McNulty ranked seventh overall, 4:44 behind Pogacar, while teammate Jhonatan Narv¡ez was tenth, trailing by 5:12.