Live Tour de France 2020, stage two — live updates

The seven-man breakaway comprising Kasper Asgreen (Deceuninck-Quick Step), Benoît Cosnefroy (Ag2r-La Mondiale), Michael Gogl (NTT), Anthony Perez (Cofidis Solutions Crédits), Lukas Pöstleberger (Bora-Hansgrohe), Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Toms Skujins (Trek-Segafredo) has gained just over three minutes on the peloton as they near the foothills of the Col de la Colmiane. No updates on David Gaudu just yet.

UAE Team Emirates are working on the front of the pack, partly to 'honour' the yellow jersey worn by their sprinter Alexander Kristoff, but most likely because with riders like Tadej Pogacar and Davide Formolo they stand a very decent chance of winning this stage.

Here are the full details from the intermediate sprint . . .

Matteo Trentin (CCC) took the 20 points at the intermediate sprint after the Italian rolled over Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) before appearing to gesture towards the seven-time winner of the green jersey. Not entirely sure what Trentin's issue was with Sagan, but moments after the CCC rider was forved into taking a wheel change and subsequently dropping back into the warm embrace of the pack.

That eight-man breakaway has put almost 20 seconds into the main bunch who appear to have given up the chase properly. David Gaudu, meanwhile, is receiving medical attention and is over a minute down on the stage leaders. Nobody here is waiting for Gaudu. Just one kilometre from the intermediate sprint where, I expect, Peter Sagan, will add a further 20 points to his tally.

Not looking great for the French climber David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) who mis reportedly suffering with a lower back injury following a crash during yesterday's stage. Gaudu is a key mountain domestique for team leader Thibaut Pinot and should he fail to finish today that would be a huge blow to the home favourite.

An early attack off the front is instigated by Anthony Perez (Cofidis Solutions Crédits) and Matteo Trentin (CCC), but the pair are quickly joined by Bora-Hansgrohe team-mates Peter Sagan and Lukas Pöstlberger along with Kasper Asgreen (Deceuninck-Quick Step), Benoît Cosnefroy (Ag2r-La Mondiale), Toms Skujins (Trek-Segafredo) and Michael Gogl (NTT).

Thankfully it is a lovely looking day out in France today, a welcome break from the rain for a bruised peloton. Anyway, after tapping through the neutralised section race director Cristian Prudhomme has got today's stage under way. The start was delayed a little after Tejay van Garderen (EF Pro Cycling) was held up thanks to an early mechanical. Oh Tejay.

Ever since the route for this year's Tour de France was announced last October, I have been telling anybody that would listen that Julian Alaphilippe (Deceunick-Quick Step) would be taking the yellow jersey at the end of the second stage and, most likely, hold onto it into the second week. While much has changed in the world since last October, I am still backing Alaphilippe for today's stage. It would be foolish, however, to simply assume that the Frenchman is the only challenger here today.

Alexey Lutsenko (Astana) has been in decent form of late and is no stranger to winning on this sort of terrain, likewise Matej Mohoric (Bahrain-McLaren) — he of the super-tuck fame — may use his descending skills to effect and ambush the bunch. Another rider in form is Davide Formolo (UAE Emirates) or team-mate Tadej Pogacar . In fact, there is a coterie of riders that could win the stage, those that fall under the bracket of all-rounder / climber or puncheur. Your Sergio Higuita (EF Pro Cycling),  Tiesj Benoot (Sunweb) etc . . .

There are three categorised climbs during today's stage, all will be familiar to those that watch the Paris-Nice stage race. There's an intermediate sprint after just 16km so I expect there will be a battle royale among those with designs on the green jersey to get in any early breakaway, or to at least position themselves near the front of the pack. Once beyond the intermediate sprint, though, the dynamic of the stage will shift entirely. Here's a course profile . . .

Here are the details of the three categorised mountains — Col de la Colmiane, Col de Turini and Col d'Èze.

  . . . and here's what points are available in the mountains competition which will, I think, get under way in earnest today.

Those familiar with the race, or stage racing in general, will realise that there are a number of jerseys on offer at the race, here's a very quick explainer for anybody that is new to the sport . . . 

 And here are the current leaders in the respective competitions . . .

 But if you want some a little more information about the individual classifications, here you go:

The eagle-eyed readers out there may have noticed that all three riders in the mountains classification have the same number of points, but Fabien Grellier (Total Direct Énergie) will start today's stage in the polka-dot jersey courtesy of him finishing highest on the stage than the only other two riders to have accumulated any points atop Saturday's two categorised climbs.

Full results and details

The Belgian team started yesterday's stage as one of the favourites to take the first yellow jersey, but after Caleb Ewan crashed the Australian sprinter failed to challenge for the line honours on the Promenade des Anglais.

While that will have been a big blow to the team, there was worse to follow. On Saturday evening it was announced that John Degenkolb had finished the stage, but after knacking his knee in a fall the popular German was unable to complete the course withing the time limit as so was eliminated from the Tour.

VIDEO PART 1 Bad luck guy @johndegenkolb - impossible to continue @LeTour with swollen knee. Rode and suffered 65 kilometers alone. #fighter #dege pic.twitter.com/HzNmo40rb0

— Lotto Soudal (@Lotto_Soudal) August 29, 2020

To make matters worse, on Sunday morning it was revealed that Philippe Gilbert had abandoned after he too bashed his knee in a fall. That's a terrible blow for both Degenkolb and Gilbert. The team will start today's stage with just six riders — Steff Cras (Bel), Jasper De Buyst (Bel), Thomas De Gendt (Bel), Caleb Ewan (Aus), Frederik Frison (Bel), Roger Kluge (Ger) — and will be hoping there is not a repeat of the 2018 Tour when just three of them finished the race.

We lost two of our greatest warriors with knee injuries after the 1st stage of #TDF2020