Stage 2 Breakdown:

Stage 2, July 5th, takes the riders on a hilly 168.5km journey from Tarragona to Barcelona. While the opening half of the stage follows the Mediterranean coastline on mostly flat roads, the terrain becomes increasingly demanding as the race heads inland before reaching the finishing circuit around Montjuïc. In total, the riders face approximately 2500m of elevation gain, with several short but explosive climbs packed into the final 30 kilometres.

The stage starts in Tarragona, one of Spain’s oldest cities and an important settlement of the Roman Empire. Known in antiquity as Tarraco, it served as the Roman capital of Hispania Citerior and today boasts some of the best-preserved Roman ruins in the Iberian Peninsula. From there the riders follow the Costa Dorada before turning inland towards the hills south of Barcelona.

The decisive action is expected on the Montjuïc circuit. With roughly 30km remaining, the peloton enters a twisting and technical loop featuring the brutal Côte du Château de Montjuïc, 1.6km at 9.3% with ramps reaching 13%. After a short descent, the riders tackle the Côte du Stade Olympique, a 700m climb averaging 7%, where the finish line is located. The circuit is completed twice, meaning the final kilometres are packed with climbing, descending, attacks, and positioning battles. This is a finish perfectly suited to explosive puncheurs and GC contenders, while the pure sprinters are likely to struggle to stay in contention.

Favorites:
| +++ | Tadej Pogacar, Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert
| ++ | Remco Evenepoel, Jonas Vingegaard, Thibau Nys, Julian Alaphilippe
| + | Romain Gregoire, Tom Pidcock, Kevin Vauquelin, Axel Laurance, Oscar Onley