Alaphillipe and the puncheurs return for Tour de France round two on the Mûr de Bretagne

LANDERNEAU, FRANCE - JUNE 26: Julian Alaphilippe of France and Team Deceuninck - Quick-Step attacks on Côte De La Fosse Aux Loups (176m) final climb during the 108th Tour de France 2021, Stage 1 a 197,8km stage from Brest to Landerneau - Côte De La Fosse Aux Loups 176m / @LeTour / #TDF2021 / on June 26, 2021 in Landerneau, France. (Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-QuickStep) takes off on stage 1 of the 2021 Tour de France (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)

After the crashes, the pain, the drama and the panache of Julian Alaphilippe's stage 1 uphill rush above Landerneau, Sunday’s finish atop Mûr-de-Bretagne should produce another thrilling finale as part of a Breton uphill finish double-header. 

While a lot of riders will be battered and bruised and several will not even start due their fractures and injuries, the stage offers much for those still healthy and ambitious. 

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Stephen Farrand
Head of News

Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.