Tadej Pogačar failed to secure his first yellow jersey on stage two of the Tour de France in Boulogne-sur-Mer, but he and UAE team Emirates-XRG did not appear to be particularly concerned by today's result.

The Slovenian champion was unable to match the power of Mathieu van der Poel on the final climb to the finish in the coastal town, allowing Alpecin-Deceuninck to secure their second consecutive Tour victory.

Pogačar, who finished second with a 6-second bonus, nevertheless consoled himself with the polka-dotted jersey as leader of the climbers' classification, earned thanks to the points collected on the Côte du Haut Pichot and the Côte de Saint-Étienne-au-Mont.

'Tomorrow will be my second day in the polka dot jersey, if I'm not mistaken, and I can't wait because it's a special jersey that people like,' he commented after arriving.

Reflecting on the stage, the three-time Tour winner was pleased with the difficulty of the stage and the weather conditions: 'It had everything: rain, stress, dangers, short climbs, just like a Classic. I felt good in the finale and as a team we rode very well, but Mathieu was simply stronger at the finish today.'

Van der Poel will not pose a threat to Pogačar in the overall standings, however. The Slovenian maintains a slight advantage over Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), with the two separated by just two seconds in the overall standings.

Sports director Andrej Hauptmann gave a positive assessment of the stage, stressing that the priority was to avoid risks: 'We did a good job, staying safe in the dangerous spots. The main goal was not to lose time, avoid problems and if possible gain something on the rivals for the general classification.'