From the Place du Palais Princier to Manosque: La Vuelta 2026 Stage 2
by Andrew Shelepnytsky Contributor
August 31, 2026
Prince Albert II officially launched the second stage of La Vuelta 2026 from the Place du Palais Princier on Sunday, August 23, setting the peloton off on a 202.1-kilometer route toward Manosque in France.
Before greeting the riders, the Sovereign listened to the Spanish and Monégasque national anthems performed by the Prince's Carabinieri Orchestra. Prince Albert then cut the official departure ribbon alongside Javier Guillén, the general director of La Vuelta, before heading to the Jardin Exotique to drop the official flag for the race's actual start.
At the conclusion of the stage, British cyclist James Matthew Brennan of Team Visma–Lease a Bike secured victory in a sprint finish. Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar retained the red jersey as overall leader, receiving the garment from Prince Albert II on the podium following his earlier victory in the opening individual time trial in Monaco.
Photo Credits: Palais Princier de Monaco Instagram
Andrew Shelepnytsky
Contributor
Andrew Shelepnytsky is the Vice President of International Business Development at The Monegasque™ Magazine, where he spearheads global partnerships. He serves as the host of The Monegasque™ Podcast and is a Partner at FC Barbagiuans, the football club of H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco. A dedicated Ambassador for Peace for the Universal Peace Federation. Andrew serves as a contributing writer for Monaco Voice.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MonacoVoice™
Disclosure: Monaco Voice enhances the editing process with the help of carefully selected AI tools. These tools provide valuable support without taking over the editing process completely, ensuring that the final product is the result of human creativity and expertise augmented by the benefits of enhanced technology. This article is protected under the copyright of Monaco Voice. Unauthorized reprinting, republishing, or rewriting of this content is strictly prohibited without explicit permission from Monaco Voice. Quotations from this material are permissible provided that a direct link to the full article on Monaco Voice is included.
