Favorites stage 2 Tour of Catalonia 2025 | Brennan vs. the others in this second chance for the sprinters
Cycling
On day two, the riders will face an easy stage in the Tour of Catalonia. The route includes two climbs, Coll Puig del Peni and Coll de Sant Pere de Rodes, but otherwise, it is mainly flat. However, the finish looks similar to yesterday's, so expect a wonderful uphill sprint. IDLProCycling.com takes a closer look!
Course stage 2 Tour of Catalonia 2025
The riders will start day two in Banyoles, in the interior of Catalonia. The riders will face a reasonably quiet start but seventy flat kilometers there. Then, the two most challenging obstacles of the day loom up: the Coll Puig del Peni (4.8 km at 5.0%) and Coll de Sant Pere de Rodes (7.7 km at 6.4%). If teams want to wreak havoc in this stage, they must do it in this phase.
However, with everything still to come at this stage, the big question is whether that will happen. We then head to Figueres for the first time, where the finish line awaits after a final local lap of forty kilometers. The final kilometers in Figueres are uncomplicated, but there is still an uphill section in the absolute final. So, the sprinters should carefully monitor their timing!
Climbs
76.5 km: Coll Puig del Peni (4.8 km a 5.0%)
96.5 km: Coll de Sant Pere de Rodes (7.7 km a 6.4%)
Times
Start: 06:55 AM EST
Finish: 11:01 AM EST
Weather stage 2 Tour of Catalonia 2025
Tuesday is a good day to be in Catalonia. The temperature is around 20 degrees Celsius, with the occasional sunny period and a tailwind on the final stretch. Vamos!
Favorites stage 2 Tour of Catalonia 2025
After the sensational opening stage, we can confidently name one top favorite for this stage. Because the finish line is once again slightly uphill, just like in the first stage, mark Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike) on your list because even with Kaden Groves on his wheel, he was still the strongest. That Australian will be hoping fervently for revenge, and he will probably now get some real help from Tibor Del Grosso.
Behind that trio were several names who now hope for a more successful sprint. Corbin Strong (Israel - Premier Tech) finished sixth, and Pavel Bittner (Picnic PostNL) finished 19th. The Czech rider found stage one a bit too difficult, but he will look for his chances on Tuesday. With Dorian Godon and Andrea Vendrame, Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale had the strongest sprinters in the upcoming peloton: they finished fourth and fifth. So that's something to keep in mind, although they like a tough race.
Then, there were many fast men for whom the first stage was just a bit too hard. Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost) and Axel Laurance (Ineos Grenadiers) won a stage last year and hope for more success in the second stage. Stan Aniolkowski (Cofidis) is, on paper, one of the faster men in Spain, but perhaps it is just a little too difficult for him. And the punchers? Names like Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto) and Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) are not slow, but we still rate them slightly lower against the sprint specialists. Usually, Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step) is also great at these finishes, but he was nowhere to be seen in stage one.
Favorites stage 2 Tour of Catalonia 2025, according to IDLProCycling.com
Top favorites: Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Outsiders: Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost), Corbin Strong (Israel - Premier Tech), Pavel Bittner (Picnic PostNL)
Long shots: Axel Laurance (INEOS Grenadiers), Stan Aniolkowski (Cofidis), Dorian Godon, Andrea Vendrame (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step), Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto), Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek)
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Latest Comments
- I am not sure if it is the hardest to win. In Flanders and Roubaix well before the finish the Peleton will be decimated and the race will normally be won by the best rider of the day or maybe 2nd or 3rd in case of a mechanical or unlucky break especially in case of Roubaix. In San Remo just before the finish there will still be several riders in contention and they are hard to ditch. For the best riders it is a race hard to win since it is not so selective. But if you are not a top 5 rider but still a top 10 rider this race is your best change to win. You will see more Milan San remo Winners with only 1 monument win than any other monumentsJoostmehrtens19-03-2025
- "fap fap fap oh Lance oh oh OHHHHHHH" again. Does he pay you to dredge up people with nice things to say about him? He was an giant a$$hole to people. It is a fact. Whatever his contrition about the doping, he is unapologetic about being a giant a$$hole to people. (Why yes, I do only login to complain. *I* am however only a giant a$$hole to people who laud giant a$$holes.)ericjensenridesbikes25-02-2025
- Remco is still very young. And injuries can absolutely keep you from overdoing it and getting worse. The recent Remco accident didn't keep him from being able to ride a recumbent inside. Wout's knee is a different story thoughVeganpotter23-01-2025
- Van der Poel style is winning by a half a lap and leading the race from the end of the second lap.
Barnes127420-01-2025 - If she thinks talent alone will put her there she will not see many podium finishes much less a GC finish.....work as a team utilizing tactics to consistently be at the top.Germanrazor10-01-2025
- This was very informative! Luiz Antonio Duarte Ferreiraluizantonioduarteferreira02-01-2025
- Well explained, thanks for the clarity! Daniel DantasDanieldantas20-12-2024
- This is the kind of 'news' that belongs in a cheap tabloid. No matter how boring the offseason gets, nobody wants to read this.
santiagobenites19-12-2024 - I wish we could have seen him try. He'd absolutely get dropped before Pogi overtakes his domestiquesVeganpotter10-12-2024
- Talk is cheap! Next year barring crashes with a healthy team... all well be on track! Some need to talk to make a headline!mootman27-11-2024