Preview Tour de la Provence 2026 stage 2 - INEOS or American win on Station du Lure summit finish?
CyclingFriday, 13 February 2026 at 17:09
The 2026 Tour de la Provence will take place from the 13th to the 15th of February, giving continuation to the French stage-racing calendar and also returning to the mountains, where the race has in the past seen notable performances. We preview stage 2, which is estimated to start and finish at 11:55 and 16:20CET.
The French race was first held in 2016 and its very first winner was one of France's most iconic figures: Thomas Voeckler. Rohan Dennis won the following edition, and the race surged into the spotlight back in 2020 when Nairo Quintana set an incredible climbing performance on Chalet Reynard - the toughest part of the climb to Mont Ventoux, the region's most reputable climb.
It is a race that changes its route quite often and hence, it allows different types of riders to battle for victory. After not being held in 2023, the race returned in 2024 and the two previous editions have been won by Lidl-Trek's Mads Pedersen. These weren't victories taken due to his sprinting power, but rather his ability to ride the hilly terrain, as last year he also beat Matej Mohoric.
Profile stage 2: Forcalquier - Station de Lure
Stage 2: Forcalquier - Station de Lure, 175.5 kilometers
The queen stage of the race sees the riders return to the Station de Lure, the climb which hosted the race's most recent mountain stage back in its 2022 edition, where Nairo Quintana took the win. It is not as difficult as Chalet Reynard, but is a proper climbing tests, specially in mid-February when many riders are still working on their form.
The 175-kilometer long stage is not particularly hard, it features some small climbs but the efforts will mostly be guided towards the summit finish. The climb is 13.7 kilometers long at 6.4% and should make the race's key differences for the overall classification.
Matthew Riccitello and Laurens de Plus, two of the strongest riders on paper, have lost time today on the flat finale - as did Neilson Powlesss, who did however speak previously about bad form. This opens things up a lot, as the form becomes a big unknown for several of the favourites for the victory. Carlos Rodríguez is the biggest name, but is racing for the first time since the Tour de France and is a wildcard - whilst INEOS also have the in-form Brandon Rivera who could surprise.
Prediction Tour de la Provence 2026 stage 2:
*** Matthew Riccitello, Carlos Rodríguez
** Laurens de Plus, Mathias Vacek, Aurélien Paret-Peintre
* Tao Geoghegan Hart, Guillaume Martin, Brandon Rivera, Emanuel Buchmann, Clément Champoussin, Wout Poels, Jannis Peter
** Laurens de Plus, Mathias Vacek, Aurélien Paret-Peintre
* Tao Geoghegan Hart, Guillaume Martin, Brandon Rivera, Emanuel Buchmann, Clément Champoussin, Wout Poels, Jannis Peter
Pick: Carlos Rodríguez
How: Solo win.
Original: Rúben Silva
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maria2024202413-02-2026 - What a wet stage. I love it when the breakaway wins, especially with a Conti rider. Fabulous!RidesHills13-02-2026
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